Fullmetal Pirate
by Dream Dragoness
Summary: When Fullmetal Alchemist: Erin Elric and her younger brother, Alphonse, are sent to take down a Fishman named Arlong, they meet a boy with a straw hat and a big dream. But what will happen when he develops feelings for Erin? And Vise Versa? LuffyxOC
1. Erin's New Mission

**Chapter 1**

**Erin's New Mission**

_My first One Piece fic and my second Fullmetal Alchemist crossover. Those of you who read "Alchemists and Monsters," I just want to let you know that Erin is a multiuniverse OC. While she may be Ed's granddaughter in one fic, in this one, she is the gender-swapped version of Ed himself._

_I do not own One Piece or Fullmetal Alchemist. Just Erin._

* * *

><p>"Ugh~! Why couldn't this 'Cocoyashi Village' be in Xing or Amestris? Then I wouldn't be feeling like crap right now." Groaned a girl who was half in a small boat and half in the sea.<p>

She had blond hair that reached the middle of her shoulders, braided and with an 'antenna' over the center of her forehead and between parted sharp bangs. She was dressed in a black tank top with a black undercoat over it with a white strip in the middle. She wore black pants and black boots. She also had a red trench coat with the Flamel symbol on the back in black and had white gloves on her hands. In her pants pocket was a silver pocket watch with a lion insignia on the cover.

This was the Fullmetal Alchemist: Erin Elric. According to Amestirian State Records, she is the youngest person to ever join the military as well as the first female State Alchemist. She is also a prodigy with a high I.Q. and the ability to perform alchemy without transmutation circles.

"Sister! I told you to take those pills to prevent seasickness!" griped a giant suit of armor holding onto the girl so that she didn't fall over.

This was Erin's younger brother, Alphonse Elric. No one but those close to Erin's superior, Colonel Mustang, knew the truth of why he wore armor.

"I've been on boats before, Al. Not once was I seasick-ugh-till now." Erin replied, heaving.

"The Colonel told you that the ocean can get choppy."

Erin's eye twitched at the mention of the Colonel. After all, _he_ was the one who gave her the mission.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback—A week ago<em>

"_You called, Mustang?" Erin asked bluntly as she entered the Colonel's office. _

_The black-haired man in front of her looked up from his desk as the Fullmetal Alchemist took a seat on one of the chairs in front of him. _

_"__Fullmetal. I have an interesting mission for you this time." _

_"Really? Like the last mission and the one before that and so on?" Erin asked sarcastically. "Seriously, Colonel. None of the missions you gave me have been 'interesting' lately."_

"_Well, is the word 'Fishmen" in your dictionary of interesting?" _

_This caused Erin to raise her eyebrow. _

_"Fishmen? You mean, like chimeras?" _

_"No. Actual Fishmen." _

_And like that, it was hook, line, and sinker. _

"_So, what's with this Fishmen thing?" _

_"__I'm glad to have you take up this mission, Fullmetal." _

_A vein on Erin's forehead became visible as the Colonel continued. _

_"There has been a…development in a village across the East Blue. For eight years, the village, known as Cocoyashi Village, has been under the iron rule of a Fishman pirate by the name of Arlong. We've been holding back, hoping that the Marines that are in charge of the area would take care of it. But it's been strongly suggested that those water-bound slackers might be in on whatever Arlong is planning. After a few months, I managed to receive permission from the Fuhrer to send a State Alchemist to Cocoyashi Village, expose the Marines there, and take out Arlong and his Fishmen."_

"_So…why do you want me to do it?" _

_"Because of your abilities and your record, you are the perfect candidate for this job. Just try not to blow your top. We're already on edge with the Navy. No need to turn this into a war." _

_"What about Al?" _

_"He goes with you as always." _

_"And what happens if I say no?" _

_"Then you will be court-martialed, stripped of your rank and privileges, and get kicked out of the military. And if that happens…" _

_"Alright! Alright! I get it! No need to pull that card out."_

"_Excellent. You and Alphonse will leave tomorrow." _

_"W__hy do I get the feeling that I'm gonna regret this?"_

* * *

><p>She definitely was feeling that she was going to regret it. It doubled when Al had to force her to take the pills to cure her seasickness.<p>

"Remind me to kick Mustang's ass when we get back."

Al sweat-dropped at his elder sister's comment.

"You remember that we're indebted to him, Sister. Anyway, we should be more concerned with this Arlong business. I mean, from what we have learned from the Colonel, these Fishmen are dangerous. Especially when in the water."

"Then we'll just have to stay out of the water. We can't swim, so there's no need to go into the water to fight some Fishmen. If they go under, then we'll just have to use alchemy to bring them back up." Erin answered simply.

Al continued to sweat-drop. When she should be worried, she's the opposite and she was always looking for a fight. He was surprised that Erin wasn't born a boy with the name Edward.

As they continued to talk, an Amestrian soldier approached the pair and spoke.

"Excuse me, Miss Fullmetal Alchemist. We have spotted Cocoyashi Village dead ahead. We will be landing shortly."

"Great. Get us there, a.s.a.p."

"Yes, ma'am." The soldier replied before he headed to the helm to give the alchemist's order.

Erin looked ahead to see a small landmass on the horizon.

* * *

><p>Upon setting foot on the island, the Elric Siblings immediately felt the despair that the island had gone under. Looking at the destruction of one of the villages nearby, which the place was upside down and deserted of all life, the siblings became cautious to the Colonel's warning that Arlong was both strong and dangerous.<p>

As they entered Cocoyashi, they were greeted by stares and murmurs.

"Who are those two?"

"Don't know."

"They don't look like Fishmen."

"I think the one in red's a girl."

"Are you sure? It looks like a boy."

"And what about the armored one? Why is he wearing armor like that?"

Erin huffed as she whispered to her brother.

"Jeez. It's like these people never saw an outsider before."

"Sister. Arlong is the _reason_ why no outsider comes here."

"Still, it's a pain that they're acting like this. Let's just find the damned Fishman, kick is ass, and head back to Amestris."

"Amestris? What's that?" A voice spoke from behind.

The Elric's freaked out in surprise at the sudden sound of the voice, which caused them to jump to look behind them. There, standing behind them, was a boy close to Erin's age.

He had a scar under his left eye and black hair. He was wearing a red button-up sleeveless shirt, jean shorts, and sandals. On his head was a straw hat with a red ribbon around the brim.

"Wha! Where the hell did you come from?" Erin yelled in surprise.

The boy, with a blank look on his face, pointed to a palm tree.

"From over there."

The Elric Siblings sweat-dropped at the boy's answer.

"That's not what she meant." Al replied.

Erin sighed in annoyance and turned around.

"Sorry, but we have no time for this."

But it was then that the boy asked, "Hey, how come you're so short."

Al sweat-dropped as his older sister turned toward the boy and began to flail angrily.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PINT-SIZED MIDGIT THAT'S THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF SAND, YOU BASTARD?"

But to Al's surprise, they boy laughed at the alchemist's outrage.

"Ha-ha, you're funny. Do it again, Shorty!"

It was then that Erin grabbed the boy by his shirt collar and began to throw him.

"I SAID DON'T CALL ME SMALL!"

She then threw the boy across the village, sending the villagers into a state of shock.

But instead of groans of pain, there was laughter coming from the other side of the village.

"Ha-ha, oh man that was hilarious!"

The villagers and Al sweat-dropped at the boy while Erin remained seething with rage. But as the girl planned to go over and beat the boy up, Al placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sister. Maybe we should just do what we came here to do and not cause a fight."

Though still livid, Erin gave a sigh of defeat.

"You're right, Al. We got more important things to worry about."

She then turned to the villagers.

"Hey. Do any of you guys know where I can find a Fishman named Arlong?"

Immediately, the villagers' looks changed from sweat-dropping at Erin's temper to looks of absolute horror at the siblings. A man with dozens of scars and a pinwheel on his hat approached the siblings.

"Are you crazy or something, kid? Arlong will snap you and your friend into pieces."

It was then that Erin brought out her pocket watch and showed it to the man.

"Where we're from, watches like this one don't just tell the time. They also serve as to verify the identification of State Alchemists."

It was then that the man's eyes widened.

"Th-then you're…?"

"That's right. We're from the Amestrian Military. I am a State Alchemist known as the Fullmetal Alchemist: Erin Elric." Erin then gestured to her brother. "And this is my younger brother, Alphonse."

Upon introductions, they straw hat boy immediately returned to the scene, stars sparkling in his eyes.

"Wow! That sound's cool!"

The Elric's sweat-dropped, but Erin shook her head and returned to her explanation.

"Anyway, I have orders to take out Arlong and free the islands under his iron rule. All I ask is the location of this Fishman and any other information that can help us."

After a few minutes of silence, the man spoke in anger.

"How can we trust you? You may have the silver pocket watch of the Amestrian alchemists, but how can we be sure you're telling the truth."

Sighing, Erin took a few steps back until she was a couple of feet away. She then clapped her hands once and placed them on the ground, a blue electrical light shining. The villagers covered their eyes while they boy watched in amazement. When the light died down, the people saw an elegant fountain where Erin had placed her hands.

"WOW! THAT'S SO COOL!" The boy yelled.

The man, now convinced on Erin's identity, huffed.

"Very well. But we're waiting for news from Arlong Park. You'll have to wait until then. But that doesn't mean we'll trust you. The marines already broken our trust, don't expect us to think differently of the Amestrian Military."

"_Fine by me. As long as I can kick Arlong's ass."_ Erin thought.

After that, the villagers went back to what they were doing. Well…except for the straw hat boy. Annoyed, Erin asked him, "Well? Aren't you gonna go back to your tree."

The boy just smirked.

"Nope. I'm gonna hang out with you guys."

Erin groaned mentally.

_"__Somewhere in the world, a village is missing its idiot."_ (**1**)

Trying to avoid a possible fight, Al then asked a question.

"So…what's your name?"

The boy grinned as he answered the younger Elric.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy. And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

* * *

><p><em>(1) The author of "The Hanyou Pirate", Pumpkin Maximus, said I could use this line. Thank you, Pumpkin.<em>

_Please read and review, hold the flames, please._


	2. Getting to Know You

**Chapter 2**

**Getting to Know You**

_Wow! I am on a roll this week! Must be the fresh snow. Anyway, read, enjoy, and review please. Hold the flames._

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><p>"My name's Monkey D. Luffy. And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"<p>

Erin was in total disbelief, thinking how an idiot like this guy would make it as King of the Pirates. Al was just stunned at the fact this boy was a pirate, let alone wanting to be king of all pirates.

Wanting to get away from the seemingly insane boy, Erin cleared her throat.

"Ahem, well that's very nice…Luffy, was it? But right now, my brother and I are-."

But Erin didn't have time to finish her excuse of leaving when Luffy asked Al a question.

"Brother? Is she your little sister?"

Erin's eye twitched as Al answered him.

"Um…no. Erin's 16. I'm 15."

Luffy gasped.

"No way! She's your _older_ sister? But she's—!"

But before Luffy could say it, Al covered his mouth, not wanting his sister to start a fight with this boy.

"Look, my sister doesn't like anyone to talk about her height. Otherwise—."

"Otherwise, I'd have to kick their ass." Erin added in sourly.

Luffy blinked a couple of times before grinning.

"Alright. No more short jokes."

Al was relieved, but Erin continued to glare at the boy.

_"This guy's a complete dumbass." _

Stretching, Luffy then asked the siblings, "So, what are your names again?"

Both Elric's sweat-dropped as Al told him his answer.

"Um…My name is Alphonse, but everyone likes to call me Al. And this is Erin. We're the Elric's."

Luffy nodded his head as he pointed to each sibling.

"Alright. So you're Alphonse and you're Erin."

He then placed his arms at the back of his head.

"So…what are we gonna do while we wait?"

"We?" Erin asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Well I said that I was gonna hang out with you and your brother. So that's what I'm gonna do." Luffy answered simply.

"Huh? Don't you have a home to go to?" Erin asked, wanting to get rid of this guy.

"Nope. I don't live here. But my friend, Nami, does. She's who me and my crew are here for."

"As what?" Al asked.

"As our navigator."

Erin then pulled Al aside, looking back at Luffy.

"Could you give me and my brother a moment?"

Luffy then folded his arms.

"Ok."

Giving one final glance, making sure that Luffy didn't listen in on their conversation, the Elric's began to have a private chat.

"Sister. Maybe hanging out with this guy won't be a bad thing. After all, how long will it take for news to get here from Arlong's base. Besides, what else are we gonna do besides wait?" Al reasoned.

Erin sighed at her younger brother's logic. Who knew when this 'news' was gonna get to the village. And since this guy wouldn't leave them alone, they might as well do something.

Looking back at Luffy, Erin sighed.

"Alright. You can hang out with us until this 'news' comes. But then we have to leave, got it?"

Luffy grinned.

"Got it. So…what are we gonna do?"

Erin had an idea already.

"Hey, I know it may seem dull, but do you want to watch me and Al spar? I think I'm getting kinda flabby after that week at sea."

Both boys completely agreed to the idea of sparring as they headed to an area outside the village to spar.

Luffy sat on a nearby boulder, not minding that he was a spectator than a fighter. In fact, after the alchemy demonstration in the village, he was interested at what else the Elric's could do. Especially when it came to fighting.

Erin removed her coat and set it to the side. Once that was done, the Fullmetal Alchemist got into position a few feet in front of her younger brother. In a fighting stance, she spoke.

"I hope you're ready, Al. I'm gonna beat you this time."

"Try me." Al replied.

Luffy watched in amazement as the Elric's fought for the next hour. Both Elric's didn't let up on each other just because they were siblings. As they fought, Luffy asked some questions concerning the Elric's origins.

"So where did you guys come from?"

"Amestris." Erin replied.

"Eastern Amestris to be accurate. In a small town called Risenbool." Al responded.

It was then Erin asked a question.

"In alchemy, one of the rules is known as Equivalent Exchange. Basically, no one can gain anything without giving something in return. Since Al and I told you where we came from, so now it's your turn. Where did you come from?"

Even though Luffy understood absolutely nothing about alchemy, he somehow understood the rule of Equivalent Exchange and answered her question.

"I'm from a small village in the East Blue called Fuchsia Village. Right now, my current home is _The Going Merry_."

"That's a ship, right?" Al asked.

"Yep." Luffy grinned.

* * *

><p>About twenty questions later (the Elric's kept silent on why Al was wearing a suit of armor and why Erin was in the military), Alphonse won the spar. Again.<p>

But even though the elder of the siblings lost, again, Luffy was heavily impressed with the Elric's abilities. His crew had some tough fighters, but these two foreigners before him were something special.

He immediately came to a decision.

"Hey Erin! Al!"

His call brought the attention of the siblings, who were giving him confused looks as to why he called them. They got an answer shortly.

"I'm gonna make you two become part of my crew."

"No thanks." Erin bluntly replied as Al sweat-dropped.

The two of them? Pirates? Al was having a hard time seeing it. Erin, on the other hand, wanted no part in joining a pirate crew.

Luffy pouted.

"Aww. Why not?"

Placing her hand on her hips, Erin told him.

"Several things are wrong with that. First: we are from another country that's expecting us to come back soon. If we go with you, they'll worry. Second: I'm in the military as a State Alchemist. If you want me to go, you'll have to talk to the Colonel about that. Third: Why would you need us as pirates? And Fourth: Al and I have a...condition…that prevents us from going with you. So, thanks for asking, but no thanks."

"But going to the Grand Line might have a cure for your condition and let me talk to this Colonel guy. I'm sure he won't mind if you join me for a while." Luffy begged.

"But why would you want us in the first place?" Al asked.

"Because you guys are cool and there's no doubt that we will need alchemists in the future." Luffy pleaded again.

"Sorry. But unless those circumstances are cleared, I—Hey!"

Erin's protests were halted when Luffy glomped her, sticking to her like glue.

"Come on! Pleeeeeease!" The boy begged.

"No!" Erin called out, trying to get the boy off her body.

No matter what she did, not even to stretch the boy, whom she had learned had rubber-like qualities due to an item called a Devil Fruit, Luffy wouldn't let go. If his crewmates had seen this, they would've noticed that Luffy was trying insanely harder to get the Elric's to join than how he got the others to do so.

One thing for sure, Luffy really wanted the alchemists to join him.

But the struggling stopped when the trio heard a commotion coming from the village.

"Hey? What's going on?" Al asked.

"I don't know, Al. Maybe it's that news we were waiting for." Erin answered as she and her brother walked side by side back to the village, with Luffy still clinging onto her.

Once they reached the village, they saw the villagers, led by the scarred pinwheel man who was named was Genzo according to the villagers, beginning to form a mob.

"We had enough. Take up arms! It's time to fight!"

The villagers cheered at Genzo's words as they gathered weapons.

"This isn't good." Erin spoke.

"Yeah." Al answered.

Genzo then continued to speak.

"Eight long years ago, we promised we wouldn't live our lives in vain! No matter the pain and humiliation we endured under Arlong, we swore to fight the long fight so Nami could meet the demand! But they lied! They never intended to keep their end of the deal! Instead, they stole our only chance at freedom! So now, we should make those filthy Fishmen pay for the years that they manipulated that kind, young girl! Am I right?"

The villagers cheered in agreement, ready to end this on their own terms. Erin narrowed her eyes at the scene. Nami. That was the same name as the navigator that Luffy was looking for. But what was her involvement in this mess? It seemed to be something the Fullmetal Alchemist was going to have to talk to the villagers about after this.

But before she could call out to calm the villagers down and ask them to wait until she was able to handle the situation, a female voice yelled, "Everybody! Wait!"

Silence filled the village as Erin saw the source of the voice walking into the village. It was a girl about a couple of years older than her with short, orange hair. She was dressed in a lime green noodle-strap top with dark green spot spotted all over, dark blue shorts, and high-heeled sandals. She had an unusual tattoo on her left shoulder.

"Hey. It's Nami." Erin heard Luffy whisper.

This brought the interests in the situation up a notch for the Elric's. They watched as Nami tried to act brave for the villagers, saying that she'll just try again. But the villagers, and the Elric's, were not convinced. Instead, Genzo hugged Nami as if she were his own, saying that she had fought long enough.

Despite Nami's protests, even with a knife pointed at them, the villagers ran passed her, heading in the direction of the Fishman's base: Arlong Park.

The Elric's then saw that Nami was beginning to cry. They could see the emotions she was feeling right there.

Despair.

Frustration.

Anger.

Betrayal.

She then placed her hand on her tattoo, the symbol of Arlong. And before the Elric's could react, Nami grabbed the knife she had dropped and began to stab the tattoo, shocking the Elric's. She repeatedly screamed Arlong's name with the most poisonous of venom and she stabbed the mark.

Having enough, Erin walked over to the fallen girl and grabbed her arm. Surprisingly, Luffy did the same thing. But unlike him, Erin began to scold Nami like she was a child.

"Just what do you think stabbing an ink spot on your arm is gonna do? Kill Arlong? That's the most idiotic and pathetic thing I have ever seen!"

Nami looked at Luffy first, whispering his name in confusion. Then to the golden-eyed girl who was new to this village. Dropping the knife, Nami gazed at the ground, refusing to look at either youths.

"What do you two want? You don't know anything about this. You don't know what's been happening on this island for the past eight years."

"Nope. I don't." Luffy replied bluntly.

Erin, however, spoke longer.

"In honesty, I only learned of what's been going on here a week ago. My superiors sent me here to do what those dumbass marines never even lifted a finger to do."

"This has nothing to do with either of you. Luffy, I told you to leave this place." Nami spoke, clenching the ground beneath her.

"Yep. You sure did."

It was then that Nami began to toss dirt in the direction of the rubber man and the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"So leave! Both of you! Get out of here! Get out of here now!"

Having enough of this, Erin bopped the emotionally distraught woman on the head.

"Ow! What the—?"

"That's enough!"

Nami flinched as Erin yelled at her.

"If what I have learned by watching this is true, out of all the villagers on this island, it is you who has suffered the most! And you only doubled your suffering by thinking that you should take care of this alone! I don't know what your life story is or how it is connected with Arlong. But it's time to stop trying to do this on your own and let other people help you!"

"What do you care? I don't know where you came from, but you should have come when this village needed you the most. Before—."

"That is not of my doing! The Amestrian military normally stays out of things related to the sea. But they have been keeping an eye on the situation for the past eight years and have only recently took action. They had to go through a lot of red tape just to send me and my brother here to take care of that bastard. So don't tell me I don't care!"

Nami remained silent as she continued to gaze at the ground.

Sighing, Erin continued.

"Look, I can tell you don't want anybody to die. You care for this village so much that you'd hurt yourself to keep them safe. Well now, the only one who needs help…is you. All you need to do is ask."

Luffy remained silent while Al was in awe at his sister's words of momentary wisdom.

Then again, she was also a hypocrite.

Nami allowed her mind to process the harsh words that the blond had said. The runt had no reason to even be here and to scold her like a child.

But…she was tired. Tired of chasing pirate to steal their treasure. Tired of hulling it all back in hopes that she would have enough.

Tired of working for that monster, Arlong.

In the end, she knew that the foreigner was right. She couldn't do this alone anymore. So she allowed herself to break the dam that was holding her tears. Looking back at her friend and the newcomer, she spoke.

"Luffy. Both of you. Help me."

Erin sighed. Nami finally asked for help, even from the advice of a complete stranger. The alchemist then noticed Luffy taking off his straw hat and placing it on Nami's head.

"Of course. That's what friends do."

He then looked at Erin.

"Well? Didn't you say that you came here to beat up Arlong as well?"

Erin smirked at the boy.

"Yeah. Just a minute."

To Nami's surprise, Erin took of her red coat and placed it on her shoulders. She then looked to the suit of armor that was standing on the sidelines.

"Al, help Nami with her wound and meet me at Arlong Park. Ok?"

Alphonse nodded at Erin's request as the pirate captain and the State Alchemist walked down the path that lead to Arlong Park.

Once he knew that his sister was going to be fine for a while, Al walked over and held out his hand to Nami.

"Here. Let me help you."

Nami was a little startled at the armor not only because of his looks, but the voice sounded like a child's.

"Wha-what?" Nami asked as Al helped her up.

"Don't worry. You're gonna be ok."

* * *

><p>Nami sat on a chair inside her house as she continued to try and figure out what was with that girl and the brother that was taking care of her. Why was he in a suit of armor? Why did his sister say those things about the Amestrian military? And who are they?<p>

"Um…if it's ok, who are you? And who was that girl that left with Luffy?"

Alphonse, who was gathering the First Aid Kit that was in Nami's home, answered her.

"Well, my name's Alphonse Elric, but everybody likes to call me Al. And that girl was my older sister, Erin Elric."

"Ok…Alphonse. What are you and your sister doing here anyway? And how old are the two of you?"

"I'm 15 and Sister's 16. And we're here because of my sister's job as a State Alchemist, working for the Amestrian military."

As Alphonse took care of her stab wound, Nami began to show more interest in the siblings.

"Your sister's in the military at that age?"

"Well…she's a prodigy. She became a State Alchemist at the age of 12."

Now Nami was even more impressed by this pair, in particular Erin. But it was then that she unknowingly asked a very personal to the youngest of the Elric Siblings.

"Why did she join the military?"

She noticed that Al flinched at the question. He froze for a moment before he spoke.

"It's…"

Now Nami was becoming concerned. In the short time that she had been with him, she had come to learn that Al was a sweet person, and seeing him act like this worried her.

"Never mind. Sorry I-!"

Nami's sentence was halted with complete shock when Al removed his helmet, only to find nothing but a strange symbol at the neck of the armor. And from what Nami could see, it was made of blood.

"A-Al? Wha-what—?"

"This is why my sister joined the military at a young age. This is the part of the main reason we have come to this island."

As Al put his helmet back on, Nami managed to ask, "Wha-what happened?"

Internally, Al sighed. He knew that what had happened was supposed to be a secret. But somehow, he felt that Nami could be trusted.

"This is what happens when one tries to play God."

* * *

><p><em>Dun dun duuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnn! Nami learns about the Elric's tragidy and Erin meets Zoro, Sanji, and Ussop as she and Luffy make their way to Arlong Park. What will happen next? Will Sanji flirt with Erin? Or will he think that he might be becoming a pedophile?<em>

_Stay tuned! ^^_


	3. Is ANYONE Normal Here!

**Chapter 3**

**Is ANYONE Normal Here?**

_Merry Christmas, Everyone!_

* * *

><p>After Alphonse had told his tale, Nami was in complete shock and sympathy for the Elric's.<p>

"Alphonse, I am so sorry. I never knew that such a thing could happen. And here I was worried about my troubles."

But Al told her otherwise, waving his hands.

"No, no, you don't need to worry about what happened to us. Right now, the only concern is freeing your village."

As much as Nami wanted to believe that, the utter silence in her head that had followed such a story remained. Taking in a breath, Nami asked Al another question.

"What will you do after…if the village is free?"

Al looked out the window, almost lost in memory.

"We will continue our search to regain what we have lost."

He then noticed something and gave a light chuckle.

"You know Nami, we are alike."

This gave Nami some interest.

"Really? How?"

"We both lost our mothers at a young age. Mothers who would give us the entire world if it was possible. We also have older sisters who look out for us. Although mine is a little more violent and reckless than yours."

Nami chuckled at the comparison as well. Now that she had the chance to think, she and Al were kindred spirits. Although, Al and his sister had a bigger loss than she did. And that was the truth. She then remembered something and spoke to Al again.

"Speaking of violent and reckless, I take it you guys met Luffy, right? I saw him and your sister together back there."

Al nodded and explained what had happened earlier, including Luffy's "request."

"No way. He was _that_ desperate?"

Al was confused at her shock.

"What do you mean?"

Nami explained how Luffy obtained his current crew and Al noticed that Luffy didn't act desperate in each situation until he met the Elric's.

"Hmm. No doubt about it. Whatever you guys did impressed Luffy a lot. Not that I blame him." Nami told him.

"Is he really that easy to impress?"

"Yep. He and Ussop are easy. I am unsure of what Sanji would think of her, but I know that she and Zoro would not get along so well."

At that moment, both Alphonse and Nami thought they should get to Arlong Park right away. If not for the battle against the Fishmen, then for keeping Erin and Zoro from killing each other.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

Erin and Luffy were about a mile away from their destination when Luffy spotted three familiar figures up ahead.

"Hey! It's the rest of my crew!"

The captain ran up ahead while Erin walked normally, still thinking about her strategy in beating Arlong. It wasn't until she was a few feet from them that she noticed the three men and was the oddest group of people she had ever seen.

The first to catch her eye was a dark haired boy wearing overalls, a bandana with some goggles on his head and a satchel over his shoulder. The weirdest feature this guy had was his long nose that made Erin think of the story 'Pinocchio.'

The second male figure could be no more than two years older than her. He wore a black suit with a blue shirt and black tie. He had blond hair that cropped over his left eye, leaving his right one that had a curly eyebrow over it visible. Though Erin didn't understand it at first, the guy was swooning over her.

The last guy, however, had a look that just pissed Erin off. He seemed to be closer to his twenties than any of the other men and had green hair. He was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt, a green cloth belt, a green band around his left arm, black pants, and had three swords on his waist.

The long nosed boy was the first to greet Luffy.

"Luffy! There you are! We're on our way to Arlong Park after…"

But he stopped when he noticed Erin near the captain.

"Uh, Luffy? Who's this?"

Luffy answered him, not even looking at the alchemist.

"Guys, this is Erin. She and her brother are gonna become members of our crew."

Erin bopped him on the head.

"I NEVER SAID WE'D JOIN YOU!"

The trio of unfamiliar faces stared at the short girl, unsure of what to make of her. Luffy recovered from Erin's punch, unfazed, and spoke.

"Well, I gotta talk to her Colonel first."

He then introduced each of the members, starting with the long nose boy and ending with the green haired swordsman.

"This is Ussop. He's our sniper and lookout. He can invent all kinds of cool stuff. He also tends to lie, but he's a good guy. That's Sanji, our cook. His food is sooo good, one bite and you can never think of any other food again. And that's Zoro. He's our swordsman and the first crewmember to join."

Each of the boys greeted Erin in their usual way. Ussop used his 'Captain Ussop' line, even though Luffy had already said that he was a liar. Zoro huffed a greeting while Sanji flirted.

"My Golden Maiden, I for one would love it if you and your brother could join our crew."

It was then that Zoro muttered something.

"Pedophile cook."

**Both **Sanji and Erin glared at Zoro.

"_**What did you say Marimo/Wasabi Head?"**_

Now, Zoro had no idea why Erin was mad at him, but he went ahead and insulted Sanji.

"I know you hit on women a lot, but a kid is going too far."

That earned him a punch in the face from the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"I'M SIXTEEN, YOU MOLD-HAIRED IDIOT!"

Luffy laughed.

"Ha-ha. I was gonna tell you that she's sixteen and doesn't like it when people call her 'short', even though it's really funny."

Zoro, recovered from the alchemist's punch, glared at Erin as he readied himself for a fight.

"You wanna piece of me, brat?"

"I can take you on after I take on Arlong!"

The statement that she said sent the three new men into shock. Was this girl serious? Did she say that she was going to take on the Fishman pirate? Ussop raised his hand to ask the question.

"Uh, what do you mean by that?"

Erin, not giving a crap about them being pirates or not, showed her silver watch and explained.

"I'm an Amestrian State Alchemist sent here to take out Arlong."

While Ussop remained silent and Sanji swooned on, Zoro began to double over in laughter, causing a pissed Erin to try to attack Zoro but was held back by Ussop.

"THAT'S IT! ARLONG CAN WAIT! LET ME AT THAT LIME-HEADED BASTARD!"

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, after Sanji kicked Zoro in the head, turning the swordsman attention to the cook, while Ussop managed to calm Erin down a bit, Luffy got serious again.<p>

"Ok. Enough with the fun and games. Guys. We're going after Arlong."

The quartet before the captain looked at him with their own curious gazes. But Erin's shifted to understanding quickly.

"Right. You want to get back at him for Nami, right?"

The men looked at Erin with a confused gaze while Luffy nodded at her answer.

"Let's go."

As they walked side-by-side, Erin explained to the remaining men about what had happened at the village. Naturally, they were angry, but none were more pissed than Sanji.

"That bastard! How dare he make Nami cry?"

"I can't believe it. So that's why Nami joined Arlong's gang in the first place. It was to buy back her village." Ussop muttered.

"When I see this guy, I'm gonna cut him up in tiny pieces." Zoro grumbled.

A thought then came to Sanji and he asked it to Erin.

"I know this is your younger brother I'm talking about, but can we trust him with Nami?"

Erin felt a little insulted at Sanji's question, but she knew that he was only concerned for Nami.

"My brother is the most trustworthy person on this planet. No doubt he and Nami have easily become friends. So don't worry. She'll be fine around him."

That made Sanji a little relived. But…he was curious about the Elric's backstories. But Erin had beaten him to his questions with her own.

"So tell me, how and why did you guys become part of Luffy's crew?"

Sanji told her about his life as a chef on a floating restaurant and his dream of seeing the All Blue; an ocean that is said to have every fish from all the oceans in the world. And the best place to find the All Blue is in the Grand Line. He then told Erin about how Luffy and his crew saved the restaurant from one of the fiercest pirates in the East Blue, causing the man to accept Luffy's invite to join the crew.

Knowing that Erin wouldn't like it if he told a lie, Ussop told her about his life on Syrup Island. He was the son of a pirate who had left the island when he was a baby and has yet to return. His mother then became ill and died when he grew older. He befriended three boys and formed the 'Ussop Pirates' and also befriended a sickly rich girl named Kaiya. He joined Luffy's crew after saving the island and Kaiya from a gang of cat-themed pirates, whose captain acted as Kaiya's guardian until he betrayed her.

Zoro didn't say much on his past, only that he was on a journey to become the greatest swordsman in the world and that he joined after Luffy saved his life from the marines.

After hearing their tales, Erin looked at the man next to her. If what she heard from the others and from his own mouth was correct, then the rubber man had defiantly impressed her. But…could she and Al really fit in with these pirates? What would happen if they learned how she and Al got their current bodies? She mentally shook her head, getting the thought of joining these pirates out of her head.

There was no way she and her younger brother were gonna join a group of pirates, especially since she was in the Amestrian military. She exited her thoughts as she and the pirates reached the compound known as Arlong Park.

Ahead, the villagers were stopped by two injured men who guarded the gates. They moved aside when they saw them approaching the area. The crowd muttered in mixed feelings as the quintet of people approached the gates of Arlong Park.

Hands in her pants pockets, Erin asked Luffy.

"So. You wanna knock, or should I?"

Her answer came as Luffy reeled his fist and punched the gate down, causing the humans and the Fishmen that were on the other side of the gate to pay attention to them. Standing back up, Luffy spoke in a menacing tone.

"Now. Which one of you is Arlong?"

The majority of the Fishmen glared at the man while one, who was sitting in a chair facing the sea answered.

"Arlong? Well, that just happens to be my name!"

Now that her target had identified himself, Erin could now get a glimpse of this tyrant. From what she could tell, he was a Great White Shark Fishman with a jagged nose, black hair, and greyish skin. He was wearing a yellow and black shirt, cargo pants, and sandals.

Immediately, Erin hated the guy.

Luffy then walked ahead, speaking.

"Good. You can call me Luffy."

"Luffy? What are you supposed to be?"

"A pirate."

Erin ignored the conversation of the remaining Fishmen as she approached Luffy.

"And he's not alone."

Arlong glared at her as she glared back at him. This was the beast that made Nami and the village suffer.

He was going to pay.

"Oh? And what are you supposed to be, runt?" One Fishman asked, taunting her.

Pissed at that and deciding to show a demonstration, Erin clapped her hands together and pressed them on the ground, causing a hand made of earth to rise up and slam the guy into the wall of Arlong Park.

Taking her hands of the ground, Erin answered her victims' question.

"My name is Erin Elric. The Fullmetal Alchemist. I've been sent here to deal with an…irritation in these waters." She then glared on. "Can you guess what irritation that would be?"

Normally, the Fishmen would've laughed at the girl's threat. But after seeing her alchemy in action, they were wary. As Arlong glared at the blond, he looked back at the black-haired man.

"I can understand what a State Alchemist would want. But what does a pirate want to do with me?"

Erin watched in amusement as Luffy reeled back his arm and punched the Fishman with his Gum-Gum fruit power, sending Arlong into the wall on the other side of the compound.

Arlong glared at the pirate as he muttered, "Who are you?"

With an angry look on his face that even sent chills down Erin's spine, Luffy growled.

"That's for making our navigator cry!"

This made Erin mentally ask an impossible question.

"_Is ANYONE normal here?"_

* * *

><p><em>A Christmas present for my sweet readers. Please review. That's what I would like for Christmas. XP ^^<em>


	4. Alchemists and Pirates vs Fishmen

**Chapter 4**

**Alchemist and Pirates vs. Fishmen**

_Whoot! Finally, after a long time, I have updated Fullmetal Pirate. I still can't belive how popular this fic as become. I will warn you though that the fight scene toward the end isn't my best work. But have fun reading._

_I do not own One Piece or Fullmetal Alchemist._

* * *

><p>From the corner of her eye, Erin caught sight of some of the Fishmen coming out of the water to attack her and Luffy, only to get kicked back by Sanji.<p>

"Back off! You're out of your league!"

This interested the Fullmetal Alchemist as the chef approached her and the captain.

"Geez. You two just had to run on ahead, didn't you?"

"Don't worry; I can handle these bozos by myself." Luffy answered him.

Sanji and Erin growled in irritation at the boy.

"Aw, you fool. I never said anything about being worried. I just don't want you to hog all the action."

"Oh."

_"THAT'S what he was worried about!"_ Erin thought in anger.

She looked back to find Ussop and Zoro joining them.

"Well. I just wanna yet you guys know that I don't mind that you'd hog it all."

"I see you're rearing to go as usual." spoke Zoro.

A scream caused Erin to turn her attention to an octopus-like Fishman as it pointed at Zoro.

"Ahh! It's him! That's the unknown swordsman I was telling you about!"

The Fishman that reminded Erin of a stingray spoke.

"Roronoa Zoro."

"I thought so. That bastard tricked me! I can't believe it! I fell for it, look, sign, and anchor! Wait. Hook, line, and Sink…ker."

"_Defiantly not the brightest blub in the store, that one."_ Thought Erin, who was looking at the Fishman with a 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me' look.

It was then another of the brutes pointed to Ussop.

"Hey, look. Long-nose is here too."

That caused 'Octopus-Guy', as Erin mentally nicked named him, to cry out.

"Ahh! But…he's dead! We saw Nami kill him!"

A blue Fishman behind Octopus-Guy and the stingray Fishman, who Erin mentally nicknamed 'Manta-Guy,' spoke.

"Oh he's alive. Which means…"

Manta-Guy finished the Fishman's line.

"…Huh. That Nami was a traitor all along. Just as I suspected."

Erin mentally groaned for the Fishmen to shut up so she could send their scaly hides back where they came from.

Arlong chuckled, gaining Erin's attention yet again.

"A pirate. Of course. This is all starting to make sense now. You've been after Nami this whole time. But…"

He then let out a bellowing laugh that made Erin clench her fist in anger.

"…the girl is mine and I'm not giving her up!"

He then looked at Erin with a bloodthirsty look.

"And _you._ Eight years after I have conquered these islands, the Mainland, which was forbidden to send anyone out here in accordance to the peace treaties crafted by the World Government, defies that law and sends a dog of the Amestrian Military to come after me? What a joke! How can a runt like you beat me?"

Erin was ready to lunge at Arlong when she felt Zoro's hand on her shoulder.

"Take it easy, Fullmetal. He's just baiting you."

"I don't give a rat's ass. This guy's going down."

It didn't make things any easier for Erin when Octopus-guy approached them from the side, laughing.

"A bunch of idiots like you aren't worth Arlong's time! We know how to deal with you!"

It was then Octopus-Guy turned to face the sea and used his long mouth like a trumpet, causing Erin to sweat-drop.

"He's gotta be kidding."

But her annoyance changed when she saw the sea shaking and the crowd behind them murmuring in fear. Ussop made her aggravated again by screaming.

"Ahh! What is going on here, guys?"

Octopus-Guy laughed as a giant form started to surface the water.

"Every single one of you is about to become fish food! Momoo! Rise!"

As a shadowy figure rose from the watery entrance of Arlong Park, Erin had to admit that she was getting nervous. However, that changed when she noticed that the creature looked like…

"A giant cow?"

"It's a monster! That's the beast from the Grand Line that destroyed our ship!" Ussop screamed.

Erin, however, wasn't afraid as she noticed the scratches, bruises, and a large goose egg on top of the cow's head. The cow looked at the motley crew until it saw Luffy and Sanji, who recognized it immediately.

"Well, look who's back." Luffy spoke.

"Seems he's a friend of the Fishmen." Sanji added.

Seeing the captain and the cook that had giving him his lumps, the cow monster began to turn away and head out to the sea. Octopus-Guy called out to it.

"Hey! Stop! Where are you going? Get back here, Momoo! You can't just leave! Momoo!"

"Leaving? Now, now. Isn't that a shame?"

The cow monster froze at Arlong's words.

"But…I suppose if you really want to run away, then who am I to stop you? Well then?"

As if the leader of the Fishmen had said the magic words, the cow snapped and returned its attention to the alchemist and the pirates.

"It's coming right for us!" Ussop screamed.

Erin quickly surveyed the scene as the cow monster began its assault as well as Fishmen coming from all sides. Zoro readied himself as he grasped one of his swords, Sanji stood as he waited, while Ussop screamed 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

But before she could take them on, Luffy spoke as he glared at the cow monster.

"You're mine, you dumb cow."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Erin asked the man as he jammed his feet into the ground and wound his body up before grabbing the cow monster by the horns.

"Quick! Let's get out of here!"

"What the heck's he gonna do?" Erin asked.

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out at this range." The swordsman told them as he, Erin, Sanji, and Ussop ran back to the wall, just in time as Luffy began to spin, taking the cow monster with him.

"Time for something new! GUM-GUM PINWHEEEL!"

The move not only sent Fishmen flying and leveled the building, but when Luffy let go, he sent the cow monster flying, literally. Erin looked back to see the damage, only to be in awe.

"Holy crap, he wasn't kidding when he said he was strong. He could even send Major Armstrong flying."

Once the monster was long gone, Luffy spoke.

"Alright. That's it, Arlong! I'm done playing games with you! I didn't come here to beat down all your cronies. I came here to teach you a lesson! So step up!"

But Erin knew that something was wrong as Arlong spoke.

"Oh I will. Don't worry. Actually, I was just thinking how painful I'll end your life."

Sanji and the others joined their friend in scolding him, but Erin cut them all off.

"Hey, Luffy. Can you get your feet out?"

Luffy moved his feet, realizing what Erin meant.

"Uh-oh."

Erin slapped her forehead with her left hand in frustration.

"This is what happens when you don't plan ahead!"

(_A/N: Hypocrite!)_

"How dare you hurt our brother?"

She heard Octopus-Guy speak. Looking up, she saw that he, Manta-Guy, and Tube-Mouth Guy were still standing.

"Very well. It seems that we must now join in the fight."

"Now you will get an education in the inferiority of your species. _Chu._"

Zoro smirked.

"Oh. Really? I'd like to see that."

Manta-Guy then spoke to Arlong.

"Relax, sir. Let us handle this."

"If you go on one of your rampages to squash these insects you could destroy all of Arlong Park. _Chu._" Tube-Mouth spoke.

Octopus-Guy then called out. "Please, just let us kill these weaklings!"

"Alright. They're yours." Arlong told them.

He then looked at Erin.

"But take out the alchemist first. _She's_ our only real opposition."

"_Damn it!" _Erin thought.

But before she could do anything, Sanji got in front of her.

"I don't know what an alchemist is, but I won't let you even touch Miss Elric."

Zoro then joined in the game.

"Besides, if she is your real opposition, why not start with us as a warm up?"

"What the hell are you guys doing? I can take care of these clowns by myself." Erin whispered.

"Uh guys. There's something I should tell you." Luffy was about to speak until they noticed Octopus-Guy beginning to swell up like a balloon.

Even Zoro thought this wasn't good.

"What the hell is that octopus doing?"

Sanji smirked.

"Octopus is best when it's cut thin and salted. Add some olive oil and paprika and it makes the perfect snack while drinking."

"YOU'RE COMPARING THIS TO A RECIPIE? WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU!" Erin yelled.

"Seriously, I'm kinda in trouble." Luffy spoke.

But before Erin could react, the octopus began to spew ink at them from his mouth. The only one who wasn't able to dodge it was Luffy, who screamed.

"AHHH! I CAN'T SEE SQUAT!"

"Now to finish you off!" Octopus-Guy spoke as he picked up a HUGE piece of rubble and began to walk over to Luffy, who was still stuck.

"Luffy! What are you waiting for? Run for it!" Ussop screamed.

"That's the thing! I can't run! I can't even walk!" Said Luffy as he struggled to move his legs. "My feet are kinda stuck!"

"But you're the one who stuck them in the ground in the first place!" Ussop called again.

"_Damn! Looks like I'm gonna have to use alchemy on this."_ Thought Erin, who was by Ussop at the time.

"One Hatchi Ink Jet! Served on the rocks!" Octopus-Guy, who was identified as Hatchi, spoke as he began to toss the rubble onto Luffy.

"Cancel that order, Calamari! I'd rather have meatballs!" Erin called out as she ran in front of Luffy and used her alchemy to turn the slab into a mass of small marbles.

Hatchi was extra surprised as Luffy spoke happily to Erin.

"Wow, Erin. That was awesomely awesome!"

"Nice job, Fullmetal." Zoro complimented.

"Wow! Erin, that was amazing!" Ussop called out in awe.

"Excellent twist in the recipe, my golden maiden." Sanji half-flirted.

Erin smirked as each of the crewmembers picked one of the remaining Fishman to fight. Well, except for Ussop, who was running away with Tube-Mouth chasing him while it looked like Zoro was going to pick a fight with Hatchi and Sanji with Manta-Guy.

But before Erin could use her alchemy to free Luffy, Arlong got up from his spot and began to walk over to the pirate captain and the alchemist.

"You morons are a pathetic sight to behold. I'm sick of watching this. Now get out of my way!"

"But sir, there's no reason to go on a rampage. Think of Arlong Park." Manta-Guy reasoned.

"Don't worry, I won't. I just thought of a fun game, that's all."

"Game, huh?" Hatchi inquired.

But Erin felt otherwise.

"_Something's not right. Best be on my guard, just in case."_

Luffy, without a thought in his head, reeled back his fist.

"Now you're going down!"

But as Luffy sent his fist flying, Arlong merely tilted his head, causing the punch to miss, and grabbed the ink-soaked captain's wrist.

"Do you honestly think your sad little group can defeat us?"

"So what if we do?" Sanji asked, mockingly.

"Yeah. So what if we do, huh? Now let go!" Luffy yelled.

"You got something to say to us?" Zoro asked, grasping his sword.

"Something's defiantly not right!" Erin whispered.

Her suspicions came true as Arlong pierced the ground with one hand and lifted the chunk of concrete that held Luffy captive until said pirate was over his head like a sack of potatoes.

"Ahh! No way! No way! No way!" Luffy screamed.

With a bloodthirsty grin on his face, Arlong spoke.

"Did you know that those with Devil Fruit powers can't swim? But honestly anybody in this situation would sink right to the bottom!"

Erin, Sanji, and Zoro's eyes filled with shock and fear as they realized what Arlong was going to do.

"The sea? Oh no!" Zoro whispered.

Luffy reeled back his free arm to take a punch at Arlong, but the Fishman was quick and caught the arm in his sharp teeth, causing Luffy to cry out in pain. The rubber man retaliated by biting the Fishman's arm, which had hardly any effect on him. Having enough, Erin charged at Arlong.

"Wait, Fullmetal-!"

But Zoro's cries were in vain as Erin was kicked in the stomach by Arlong, sending her back. She wheezed in pain as she watched with horror as Arlong threw Luffy into the sea.

Erin then overheard Zoro, who had stopped Sanji from going into the water, telling the chef that the Fishmen were stronger and faster in water.

"Damn it! Then that means we have to take these bastards out before they can get to Luffy."

She then looked at Arlong, who had taken a seat at some nearby rubble, clearly amused.

"Damn Mustang sure knows how to pick a difficult assignment. I have got to figure out a plan. And Fast!"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

As Zoro and Sanji fought while Erin recovered, Alphonse was making his way to Arlong Park. He asked Nami to signal the troops on the ship that came with him and his sister from Amestris to come ashore. Nami was wary of this, but complied with Al's reasoning.

"I hope Sister's doing ok."

But as he was halfway there, the armored boy stopped as he saw Ussop cowardly fighting the tube-mouthed Fishman from before. He watched as Ussop pulled back his slingshot and fired an **Ussop Flaming Star** at the Fishman, who was covered in sake. The Fishman ran in pain to jump into the water-filled rice fields to put out the fire, only to be hit in the head with Ussop's hammer.

This amazed the young alchemist, but his thoughts went back to his older sister. But as he was about to approach Ussop to ask questions, he saw that seemingly unconscious Fishman begin to stand up and attack Ussop from behind.

"Look out!" Alphonse called as he got between the long-nosed boy and the Fishman, punching the latter back.

Like normal, Ussop's small courage went back to paralyzing fear as the unknown armored figure before him sent a Fishman flying like nothing. He was about to scream when the armor turned around and surprised the sniper by speaking in a child's voice.

"Are you ok?"

Ussop blinked a couple of times before he nodded. Who was this person? Was he a member of the village? Or…?

"Y-yeah. I, the Fearless Captain Ussop, am perfectly fine. A little bruised, but fine."

Al wasn't convinced.

The Fishman, seeing Al, charged at him, temporarily forgetting that he could've sucked the water from the rice field to attack. Ussop, seeing this, got out a metal pellet and fired it at the Fishman. With the foe distracted, Al sent out one of his strongest punches to knock him out, followed by drawing a transmutation circle on the ground and using alchemy to cause thick stone hands to contain him.

Now, Ussop was impressed at this person's abilities, but he paused when he remembered someone else doing the same thing, only without the circle.

"Hey. That was alchemy."

He then looked at Al.

"Tell me. Are you from Amestris, or know of a girl named Erin Elric?"

This sent Al into worry mode.

"Y-yeah! She's my older sister! What's happened?"

Ussop was taken aback by this, but then realized that this was Alphonse, Erin's younger brother. Looking back at the path, he spoke.

"I'll tell you on the way! Right now, your sister's in trouble!"

As they ran down the path, Ussop spoke.

"By the way, the name's Ussop."

Al nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Alphonse.

* * *

><p>After taking out Hatchi, Zoro was itching to fight Arlong, but Erin saw the wounds he had received during and before the fight and used her alchemy to send him to the other side of the gate, where he would rest.<p>

"Save it, Kelp-head. He's mine."

During the fight, Genzo, along with Nami's adoptive older sister, Nojiko, checked in on Erin as they attempted to save Luffy. In the end, they had to stretch his neck so that his head was above the water. Upon Luffy's request, Genzo turned the rubber man's head so he too can see the fight, since the sea water somehow renders him powerless.

The man wondered what the alchemist was going to do.

When the two boys reached the compound, Alphonse and Ussop found Nami there with the group of soldiers, including State Alchemist: Major Alex Louis Armstrong, standing by.

"Major! What's going on?"

Armstrong, a muscular man with a bald head, save for a blond curl and his moustache, looked at Al and spoke.

"Alphonse. We have just got here thanks to Miss Nami. Thanks to the persistence of these two men, we cannot join the fight. And it seems that your sister needs your help."

Seeing his sister ready to fight again, Al joined her.

"Sister!"

Erin, who had readied herself to fight, took a glimpse to find her brother joining her.

"About time, Al. This is the guy we've been sent here to fight!"

Despite not having one, Al's spine shivered at the sight of Arlong, who was looking annoyed.

"So this is the other half of the Fullmetal Alchemist. But I'm afraid not even armor is going to help!"

He then lunged at the pair, but the Elric's were quick and dodged it. Al then delivered a punch as Erin gave a flying kick to the Fishman's stomach.

"Payback time!" She shouted.

Arlong then tried to take a bite into Erin but Al gave his sister an edge, pulling her back so that the Fishman captain would miss and allowing Erin to give a swift kick in the chin with her left leg. Al then let his sister go, allowing her to deliver a right-handed uppercut that sent the Arlong back.

The villagers and the pirate crew watched in amazement as the Elric's fought in a two against-one battle with what may be the toughest opponent yet. Zoro slept while Sanji lit one more cigarette before his dive to free Luffy. Ussop was getting real excited as he kept calling right and left like he was a manager in a boxing tournament. Even the villagers have begun to place bets on who would win.

The majority voted for the Elric's,

As she watched them fight, Nami looked at Major Armstrong, who was quietly watching the fight.

"Are you sure they can handle him, Major?"

Armstrong looked at Nami for a bit before returning his eyes to the fight.

"The Elric Siblings have been in tougher scraps than this, Miss Nami. Though they are young and have a few 'flaws', they are strong in body and mind. I think that they will tire Arlong out, but we will need that young man's help if the monster is to be defeated."

Nami sighed as she continued on watching, concern for the siblings filling her.

As he was being beaten, Arlong noticed that something was odd about the siblings. The runt's left leg and right arm seemed harder than the rest of the limbs and he could have sworn he heard vibrations coming from the armored boy's armor. Knowing that something was up, Arlong dove into the water and lunged at the Elric's three times.

"SHARKS-ON-DARTS!"

He managed to hit the smaller Elric twice and sent a critical hit through the armor of the boy. With his last attack, Arlong stood of some of the rubble that overlooked the battle ground and, after seeing no blood on his serrated nose, looked at the alchemists', only to discover what they had been hiding this whole time.

Erin and Al recovered from Arlong's Sharks-on-Darts attack, ready to deliver more of their own fury. However, they were stopped when they heard the crowd gasp and Ussop scream. Looking down to her arms and leg, Erin saw that the attack did more than damage her body.

The sleeves and pantlegs of her clothes were torn, revealing both her flesh and automail limbs, while Al had a big opening in his armor, revealing that there was no body inside. It was completely hollow.

Even though Al told her of his and his sister's condition, Nami still couldn't believe the sight of the alchemist's metal arm and leg. Ussop kept his mouth open in shock, his screams toned into squeaks. Sanji gaped so long his cigarette fell from his mouth. Even Zoro, who took a look to see what the commotion was about, froze at the sight of the girl's limbs.

Everyone was in complete shock. Well, except for Luffy, who was seeing stars as he gazed at the alchemist and her revealed automail as well as Al's empty armor.

"AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWSOME! AWESOME! AWESOME-!"

Luffy continued to repeat the word over and over again, deciding head on that if they survive this fight, he absolutely **MUST** have the Elric's in his crew.

As he looked at the alchemists from his vantage point, Arlong realized why the runt and her brother were so powerful. The Fishman threw his head back in laughter.

"So that's why you are the Fullmetal Alchemist. And why your brother wears a suit of armor! It was for a title or protection! You runts are truly the most pathetic and wretched of all humans! You have committed the ultimate taboo! Human Transmutation!"

Even if it was from the Fishman's mouth, the village and the pirates still couldn't believe it. These two youngsters...have committed the ultimate sin. Growling in anger, Erin used her alchemy to create a small but durable blade on her automail before attacking Arlong again with some Earth Hands.

As the Fishman dodged the hands as if they were nothing, Erin growled even fiercer as she spoke while she removed her second coat, leaving her black tank top, and turned her pants into shorts.

"Wretched and pathetic, huh? Tell me again what you think of us after we kick your ass!"

* * *

><p><em>Holy Crap! What will happen next? Find out next time on "Fullmetal Pirate<em>

_Please Review and no flames._


	5. The End of the Arlong Empire

**Chapter 5**

**The End of Arlong Park**

_Sorry for the wait. I had to update a few things. Now I'm feeling ambitious this month, so after I update this, I'm gonna update it again with chapter 6. So start your surgar buzzes and get ready!_

_I do not own FMA or OP._

* * *

><p>As Erin fought Arlong, she managed to whisper to Alphonse when the two enemies backed away from each other.<p>

"Al! Stay on the sidelines for now."

"But Sister…"

"No buts, Al. In case you forgot, not only is your secret revealed through that hole in your armor, but if that Fishman finds out about the blood seal… Well, let's not find out what he'll do."

Al understood and backed off as his older sister continued the fight. As he backed off, however, a familiar voice spoke to him.

"Al! Hey, Al!"

Alphonse turned to the source of the voice to find that it was Luffy. Well…his head anyway.

"Hey, Al. What happened to your body? That's so cool!"

Normally, Alphonse would've been either confused or flattered by such a comment. But with his sister fighting a dangerous foe several yards away, his priorities had shifted.

"I'll tell you later."

"You promise?" The young pirate asked.

Al held up his right hand as if he was swearing an oath.

"I promise."

Seeing that the boy's promise was sincere, Luffy moved his head in Genzo's arms so that he could see Sanji.

"Sanji! Stop staring at Al and Erin and help me out."

The sudden order snapped Sanji out of his shock and reminded him why he was near the water in the first place. With the Manta-man threat out of the way, he could easily break the stone that was holding the now-powerless Luffy beneath the water.

As Sanji jumped in, Nami turn her attention to Al. She could clearly see that the unwanted stares of the villagers and Ussop were making him uncomfortable. Sighing, she turned to Major Armstrong.

"Do you know about what happened to the Elric's?"

The major shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Miss Nami. But such information is personal, though I've heard that the colonel and his 1st lieutenant may know about what happened. In honesty, this is news to us soldiers here as well."

After hearing that, Nami decided to take some things into her own hands. She grabbed the attention of the villagers, Ussop, and the Amestrian soldiers and spoke.

"Look. Alphonse told me what happened. But I'm not going to tell that story without the Elric's consent. But bear in mind that despite what you have seen or heard, the Elric Siblings are good people. And besides, now's not the time to question other people's personal lives."

Sanji swam as fast as he could until he caught sight of the weight that held the captain down.

_"There it is. Now just one kick will do."_

As soon as he was in range, Sanji gave the strongest kick he could manage underwater and shattered the stone. The sudden release caused the rubber man's body to fly out of the water and into the sky. His yell gaining the attention of those on the ground, including Erin, who smirked as she saw him flying.

"About time, you idiot."

Luffy grinned at the alchemist before turning serious when he saw Arlong, who was still surprised that the Devil Fruit eater was still alive and kicking. Luffy then called out to Erin.

"Erin! Step back a bit!"

Realizing that he was going to attack, Erin moved back a meter or two and watched as Luffy slung his head back.

"GUM-GUM BELL!"

The yell announced the surprisingly strong headbutt that the rubber man inflicted on the Fishman.

With Arlong's defenses down, Luffy reeled back his leg for another attack.

"GUM-GUM WHIP!"

This attack consisted of him stretching out his leg and giving Arlong a strong kick in the chest. He then reeled back his arm a good distance before punching Arlong in the stomach.

"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"

He then used a series of rapid punches on the Fishman pirate.

"GUM-GUM GATLING!"

The impact of the Gatling move sent Arlong into the wall of the building, causing some of the rubble to fall on him. Luffy grinned in success.

"Yes!"

He then looked at an astonished Erin.

"Did ya see that, Erin?"

Erin was befuddled for a while before using her fleshed hand to move back some of her hair, smirking.

"Yeah, well that's because I wore him down for you!"

Luffy chuckled. Even as Arlong got back up from the rubble.

"Is that all you got?"

Luffy then cracked his knuckles as he began to stretch his muscles.

"Nope. Just warming up."

Erin then walked up next to him.

"Mind if I join you? After all, I was ordered to take him out. Nobody said I didn't need help or on where help came from."

Luffy grinned at the alchemist.

"Sure thing. And besides, your brother's out, right."

Erin nodded as she quickly repaired her automail.

As he stood up, Arlong spoke. "What a bunch of fools. You think you could actually beat me? You were better off drowning on the ocean floor."

"No, I don't think so." Luffy answered him. "I like it up here. Yep."

"I prefer land myself. Only cowards fight on uneven ground. Or water in this case." Erin spoke.

Arlong glared at the pair.

"Do you not understand my anger? I saw my brothers crushed like worms. You'll both realize soon enough that you should've quit fighting long time ago."

Erin was about to say something when she heard Ussop called.

"Hey Luffy! Erin! I've got your backs!"

_"What the hell is he talking about? How can he help us with a slingshot and a rubber band?"_ Erin thought.

It was then that her attention was pulled back by Arlong, who was speaking to both her and Luffy.

"Do you know what the biggest difference is between you two and me?"

"The nose?" Luffy asked. "The jaw? Webbing? Erin's metal arm and leg?"

_"Somehow, I doubt that's what he's talking about."_ Erin thought sarcastically.

In anger, Arlong bellowed.

"SPEICIES!"

He then tried to take a bite out of Luffy, who dodged. Then turned his attention on Erin, who used dodged before she could use her alchemy.

"_Damn! He's too fast. Unless something distracts him, we're fish bait."_

Erin thought as she saw Arlong grab Luffy's neck and held it against a stone column, trying to take a bite off of the man's head before Luffy pulled it aside, causing Arlong to bite into a pillar. She grinned when she saw the Fishman becoming immobile with the bite. But just when it looked like she and Luffy had gained the upper hand, Arlong applied large amounts of pressure on the bite until the column and the stone roof above it came crashing down.

Seeing an opportunity, Erin grabbed Luffy by the arm and pulled him out of Arlong's grasp until they were at a safe distance.

"_Double Damn! Mustang didn't say anything about the anatomy of Fishmen. If me or Luffy get just one bite, then it's off to the morgue!"_

She snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Arlong turning toward her and Luffy.

"You see. This is the inherit power of Fishmen. I feel sorry for you humans having being created with such limited power. We've been on a different level since the beginning of time. You are inferior. It only makes sense for you to bow before me. You are so weak. Your presence on this planet is deplorable. Don't you think your time has come to an end? I'll show you. Show you the difference between you and I."

Erin then smirked.

"Sure. Go ahead."

Luffy stood up.

"There's no way we're losing to a Fishman. Especially since I plan on becoming King of the Pirates." _"_

_Again with that? It's beginning to sound like an obsession."_ Erin thought at the last sentence of Luffy's line.

She watched Arlong pick up a piece of rubble and tossing it in his hand, looking amused.

"King of the Pirates? Don't be foolish. A puny human like you couldn't possibly conquer the Grand Line. You can't even crush a pillar with your jaws."

"_I'm gonna have to get some more information on the Grand Line from the Central Library. It seems to be well known in these waters." _Erin thought, since her knowledge of the Grand Line and it's legends are limited to her.

"Yeah? So what?" She heard Luffy call out. "Quit your bragging. You're not that awesome!"

She watched as Luffy punched a nearby piece of rubble, shattering it.

"Besides. Smashing stones with your teeth is not very smart." He replied again.

Arlong was becoming even more infuriated with the idiot captain.

"Fools! That's not the point! Every member of the human race is ignorant and weak. What good are you if you can't even pull yourself out of the water?"

Arlong then lunged at the pair again. This time, Erin and Luffy dodged to the opposite sides as Luffy grabbed Hachi's swords, which were left over from the previous fight between the Octopus and Zoro, and began swiping at Arlong with them.

"As a matter of fact, I'm worthless without my friends!"

Seeing that she had some time, Erin backed away and whispered to Nami.

"Nami. I take it Al told you about what happened?"

Nami froze for a moment before asking the smaller Elric.

"How did you know?"

"When Arlong exposed my automail and punctured Al's armor, you seemed less surprised than the others around you. Think you could help him out?"

"How?" Nami asked, wondering what the alchemist was planning.

"Find some metal. Any kind of metal and bring it here. Then help Al repair himself so that he can get back in the fight. He can use alchemy like me, so the biggest thing is metal."

With that said, Erin went back into the game.

Ussop had heard what Erin had said and looked at Al, who was sitting against the wall, watching the fight.

"Say, Al."

"Yes, Ussop?"

"You're not the kind of ghost that scares people, are you?"

This made Al upset.

"No I'm not! I may have a suit of armor for a body, but I'm not a ghost, or mean to be scary."

Ussop held up his hands.

"Whoa, take it easy, Al. I didn't mean to strike a nerve. So to speak."

Al calmed down.

"Sorry. It's a sensitive subject."

"Mind telling me about it?"

Al looked back at the fight before giving his answer.

"Maybe later. Right now, I need to repair myself so I can help my sister and Luffy."

Ussop nodded.

"That's all I needed to hear."

He then turned to the villagers and the soldiers.

"Hey, everyone! Take apart all the stuff you have and put the metal into a pile!"

The people looked at him like he had gone crazy.

"Are you insane?"

"What happens if those two lose and Arlong comes after us?"

"He will if we don't help out by patching up Alphonse!" Nami called out, supporting Ussop's preaching. "I know that what we have heard and seen is shocking, but they are both good kids and have come all this way to free us. The least we can do is to help out on the sidelines!"

The villagers were wary at first, but agreed as they piled up the various metals as they watch Erin returning to the fight. Arlong dodged Luffy's slashes with ease, even if they were constant.

"Heh. Is this a joke? Whatever it is, it isn't swordplay. You're just flailing about like a child playing pirates."

Erin halted for a moment as she saw Arlong's dagger-like nose to cut one of the swords in half, with the other half landing a few feet away from the two fighters.

"_This is so not my day. Not only do I have to watch out for his punches AND his jaw, but now I have to keep away from his nose? This is insane!"_

"I hope you've realized this isn't a game." She heard Arlong speak as Luffy attempted to swing the second sword at him.

Arlong caught the blade with his teeth, breaking it in half as well. Adding a bit more pressure to his jaws, he broke the remainder of the blade that was in his mouth.

"That's enough. Now die!"

But Erin countered as she ran past Luffy, aiming her disarmed metal fist at Arlong.

"Shut the hell up!"

Luffy watched, impressed, as Erin managed to break Arlong's strong, sharp teeth with just one punch of her automail, surprising everyone around her.

Al could only watch as the villagers and the soldiers exclaimed in shock.

"SHE JUST SMASHED ARLONG'S TEETH!"

"Man, your sister's really strong." Alphonse heard Ussop speak as he helped the former with the transmutation circle.

"Yeah. But I always beat her when we spar." Al told him.

"Whoa. So that means you're stronger than your sister?"

"In a way. But right now, let's focus on the circle."

Erin smirked as she patted her automail.

"Yeah. When it comes to prosthetics, nothing beats automail."

Her attention returned to Luffy as the latter spoke to the fallen Fishman.

"You're right! I don't know how to use a sword!"

This caught the attention, and confusion, of his friends. Starting with Ussop.

"Wait! What's he trying to say here?"

"I don't know. But let's listen and see what kind of point he's gonna make." Al whispered to him.

Luffy continued.

"I'm a terrible sailor. I defiantly can't cook. I don't know squat about alchemy. And I can't even lie."

"Hey!" Ussop protested, only to be halted by Al, who was interested in what the pirate captain had to say.

"AND WITHOUT MY FRIENDS TO HELP ME, I WOULD'VE BEEN DEAD A LONG TIME AGO!"

Erin grinned at Luffy in approval for his speech, but Arlong's laughter regained her attention as he got back up.

"So you fully admit at how pathetic you are. You may be a fool, but you certainly are honest. How must your crew feel, tolerating this idiocy day in and day out? I bet their sick of it. But that makes me wonder why they try to save their half-wit leader. Someone like you doesn't deserve a ship or a crew. What good is a helpless rubber-brained captain to them? What can you possibly do?"

Luffy smirked.

"I can kick your ass."

The remark caused the crowd behind the pirate captain to cheer on the rubber man, but Erin, Alphonse, and Major Armstrong didn't let up.

They knew it was still not over.

"Cheer all you want, but it won't change a thing!" Arlong yelled as the remnants of his teeth fell out while new teeth quickly replaced them.

This surprised the humans.

"Whoa! He's got new teeth!" Luffy called out excitedly.

Erin was cursing herself, however as Arlong explained that since he was a shark-type Fishman, he would continue to grow teeth, no matter how they fall out. He even took out a pair like they were dentures as a third set of teeth grew in their place.

"Damn it again! Even if I could break his jaw, those teeth can still regrow? What does it take to beat this guy?"

"This is but one of the many gifts we Fishmen possess." Arlong finished his lecture.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

Erin turned her head at the rubber man and yelled at him.

"IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, LUFFY, WE'RE STILL IN TROUBLE!"

Arlong laughed at Erin's statement as he spoke to Luffy again.

"She's right, you know. If you still haven't realized that Fishmen are superior, you will soon enough."

He then lunged at the pair with his two free sets. Both Luffy and Erin dodged as Arlong attacked as Erin was trying to think up another plan.

She ceased her planning as Arlong made several swipes at Luffy, only to see that Luffy used one of his own Fishmen as a shield. This made Arlong even more pissed. He tried to attack Luffy again, only to be met with one of his punches. This punch managed to make the third set fall out of Arlong's jaw. As Arlong was regrowing his teeth, Luffy took up the pair that fell out and placed it in his mouth.

"Luffy? What the heck are you doing?" Ussop asked.

"What does it look like? Now I have shark-teeth." Luffy managed to say.

This pissed off Erin as she punched the rubber man at the side of his head.

"You idiot! _THAT'S _what you were after? We have bigger problems than finding you a new toy!"

The alchemist turned her attention back to her target.

"Forget this! I'm taking you down, Arlong! Here and now!"

But unbeknownst to Erin, Arlong was prepared. Despite the setbacks, he observed his opponents as he fought them and learned that the pipsqueak had a temper.

This would come to his advantage.

With a smirk, Arlong side-stepped Erin's punch before quickly locking his jaws onto Erin's automail shoulder. With a chortle, he snapped the arm off in one quick bite.

"Oh no! Erin!" Al called out as his sister landed on the ground with only one arm attached to her body.

This caused worry amongst the crowd.

Turning his attention to the circle, Alphonse used his alchemy to repair the hole in his armor. Once done, he charged onto the battlefield, hoping to get his sister out of there. Arlong saw this coming too. When the armor was close enough, the Fishman quickly attacked the younger sibling, using that jaws in his hands as well as the set he used to break Erin's arm, and bit the armor until he resembled Swiss cheese. That was when Luffy managed to punch the Fishman into the wall.

"Leave my new friends alone!" He called out.

As Luffy took over for Erin, the said alchemist quickly brought her brother, and his pieces with the help of Ussop, and brought him back to the sidelines.

"You dope! You should've been more careful!"

"I could say the same to you! Now neither of us can fight!" Al argued.

Looking at her remaining arm and the remaining metal pile, Erin drew a transmutation circle on the ground and used her alchemy to make a decent halberd.

"You can't. But I can."

She then looked at Ussop.

"Ussop! Watch over Al!"

"Are you crazy?" The sniper yelled as Erin went off to join Luffy.

Nami was amazed at how even though she was missing an arm; Erin was still able to fight.

_"I guess it's her stubbornness to help her brother is what drives her into this. Like me."_

But as Erin approached the pair, Arlong, who was knocked down after a failed Sharks-on-Darts attack, sat up and gave off eyes that made Erin worry.

Her worries were confirmed when Arlong grabbed Luffy by the head and threw him into the wall.

"What the hell have you done to me? The mighty Fishman!"

Erin was relieved when Luffy got up, but placed her halberd in her teeth, ran, grabbed him, and pulled him away as Arlong attempted to strike at the man again, hitting wall.

"No doubt about it. This is one of those 'rampages' those Fishmen were talking about earlier." She told Luffy, muffled by the sword in her mouth.

Luffy used his elastic body to hoist him and the Fullmetal Alchemist to the first floor's roof just in time as Arlong pulled out a long, serrated blade from the building. This wasn't like any blade Erin had either seen or made, and it also made her worry even more.

"The Sawblade!" She heard Nami call out.

From the corner of her eye, Erin could see that the look of fear in Nami's eyes was serious.

Seeing Arlong was going to jump and attack, Luffy grabbed Erin and placed her on his back.

"What the-?"

"No time to talk!" Luffy interrupted as he jumped out of the way just in time as Arlong swung the blade, slicing were the pair once stood.

He continued to swing after the pair, managing to slice off Erin's automail leg during a close call.

"_Damn! Now my leg too? If I don't figure something out, we're toast! Why did I have to lose my arm?" _

Looking at her remaining limbs, she managed to form a plan.

"Luffy! Place me on the next ledge and keep Arlong busy!"

"What? Why me?" Luffy asked. "Because you're the one with the limbs and I'm the one with the plan. Now let's go, before he catches up."

Luffy did as he was told and left Erin at the top floor's ledge.

"Lead him to this room in five minutes! I'll be waiting!"

As Luffy distracted Arlong's attacks, Erin used her makeshift spear to carve a transmutation circle onto her palm before discarding it. She then placed the bloody palm on the wall and made a small opening for her. Once she was inside, she waited for Luffy.

Waiting for Arlong.

She behind a stack of papers as Luffy came crashing in.

"Th-that was a little too close!" Luffy muttered. "I hope your plan works, Erin."

Just then, Arlong came into the room though the broken wall, not caring if he stepped on some glass and not noticing Erin hiding in the stacks of paper.

"There's nowhere else to run. You and me. Here. In the highest level of Arlong Park. At last! The time of your death has come. Shame the runt is not with you. It would've been like killing two birds with one stone."

Erin held back her temper on the 'runt' part as Luffy asked a question.

"What is this room? A lot of paper."

That's when Erin took notice of the paper around them. There was more paper than any room she had been in. Managing to find one on the floor, she picked it up and saw that it was a chart. And according to Luffy, Nami made charts.

_"No way. Is this…"_

"This isn't just any room. This is the room where I make Nami draw all of her sea charts for me."

Erin had the same thought that Luffy asked aloud.

"This is Nami's room?"

"These sea charts are all that she's worked on all these years. Just look around you. These maps are more valuable than any amount of treasure. You see, to us Fishmen, collecting data about the sea is a common affair. But assembling that raw information into a useful chart is a difficult task. That's why we needed a surveyor. In fact, that is the sole reason why I'm so keen in keeping that woman in my possession. She's absolutely brilliant. The accuracy of her chart is beyond measure. She's too good for human trash like you. Her talents should be used up solely to building the mighty Arlong Empire."

Erin was shaking with anger in her spot. This was why the Fishmen had made Nami part of their crew in the first place. The chart she had in her hand was a map of the route she and the Amestrian soldiers took in getting to this island. And if her calculations were correct, Erin placed Nami being in this room at the age of ten, forced to work day and night to make them for these monsters.

She had to keep steady; otherwise the plan would be ruined by her temper.

"Now you listen. Nami belongs to me." Arlong spoke.

"Is that so?" Luffy asked, his attitude changed.

"And you and that God-playing runt are in in the way of our business. You human scum. She's not your friend."

Erin bit her lip to keep quiet as Luffy spoke.

"I don't care. I don't care what you say. `Cause Nami is _our_ navigator!"

Things were silent for a moment. Then Erin heard Arlong speak.

"Really? You want her to navigate your pathetic schooner for you? Heh. I guess you truly don't have any idea what a monumental waste of talent that would be. Look. There's no one else on the face of the planet that could draw sea charts with such accuracy and efficiency. That young lady has a gift."

Even in anger, Erin was amazed at Arlong's words. From what the Fishman was indicating, Nami could be the best chart maker in the world. It was then that she realized what Arlong was planning with the charts. He was going to attack the East Blue by using their waters and currents to their advantages. She then caught sight of a quill falling from the desk. It was covered in dried blood.

"And there really isn't anything regrettable as wasting navigational talent. Staying here and drawing up sea chart for me is her only chance to living up to her full potential!" Arlong spoke.

Erin then saw Luffy picking up the pen after it had rolled to him, letting him examine it.

"This pen…is stained with blood."

"In order for me to obtain world supremacy, her sea charts are absolutely vital!"

Arlong then positioned his sword just so Luffy's head was between two points of the blade.

The position Erin was hoping for.

"She will continue to draw her sea charts for my own ambitions. And once her charts give all the knowledge of the world's oceans, we Fishmen will be totally invincible and the world shall kneel before us. The first step is…this island. Then we'll move on to the whole East Blue. You could never use her like me! She would be wasted on you!"

Erin's rage was reaching the limits of her ability to control it. And she wasn't the only one. After hearing all of this, Luffy placed the pen down and grabbed the blade. But instead of moving the blade like he planned, Arlong found that he couldn't move it. Luffy was holding on to the blade with a strong grip. He then gave the Fishman the dark eyes Erin had seen earlier.

"Use her?"

He then spoke. "Erin!"

Erin then grabbed the end of the blade and used her alchemy to shatter the blade, surprising Arlong.

"What? The runt? But how-?"

But Erin interrupted him.

"You bastard. What do you take her for?"

Managing to suppress his shock, Arlong laughed.

"She's an inferior creature. But she has risen far beyond her peers. If all other humans are sewer rats, then she's a feisty little kitten. She has her place and it's here beside me. Can't either of you understand that? I can give her everything she needs. And the only thing she has to do is continue drawing those marvelous charts for me!"

In retaliation, Luffy threw out the desk and Erin fired up her alchemy. In anger, Arlong bit down on Luffy's neck, but had yet to snap it.

"Now you've gone too far!"

Rage all ablaze in her, Erin made a stone fist on the floor using her alchemy and made it punch Arlong back, freeing Luffy from the bite.

"You think that you Fishmen are so superior that you would go to such lengths for something that pointless? Even if you did conquer the sea, you still have the land to think about. And let me tell you, we land dwellers, especially alchemists, don't go down that easily."

Luffy then got up, just as angry as Erin.

"This room isn't anything more than a jail cell. There is only one way for Nami to escape. I've gotta tear this place apart."

Erin fired up her alchemy again, sharing the rage with Luffy.

"I came here for you, Arlong. But that doesn't mean I should stick to just that."

Erin then paced her hand on the floor, causing spikes to pop out all over and shred the bloodstained charts, as Luffy sent his foot into the air.

"GUM-GUM…!"

Arlong then spoke as he recovered.

"You fools. You think Arlong Park could be taken down by a pair of pathetic humans? Especially not by some rubbery freak and a Damned One like you two!"

Arlong then attempted to attack Erin, but Luffy saw this and yelled.

"Fall back!"

With the length of the leg, Luffy was able to stomp on Arlong's back just before he could hit Erin. She then joined Luffy in giving the final blow to Arlong with a stone fist that impacted alongside Luffy's foot as Arlong broke through the floors until he was on ground level.

Erin removed the stone fist while Luffy retracted his leg. When the dust settled, they could see that Arlong was no more.

With Arlong defeated, Luffy sat down next to Erin, panting. Erin sighed as she wiped the blood off her head from one of the many wounds she received during the long battle.

Looking at Luffy, she asked him, "Are you ok, Luffy?"

Luffy nodded.

"Yeah. You know, you fight awesome, even when you have only an arm and a leg left. How did you do that alchemy anyway with just one hand?"

Erin was about to answer when the ceiling began to fall. Glancing at the damage they had done, Erin realized what was going on.

"Our battle with Arlong gave the place a beating so bad that it can't support itself. This place is gonna collapse!"

* * *

><p>Outside, Alphonse was watching with horror as Arlong Park collapsed. Since his limbs were bitten into shreds by Arlong, Al couldn't move. Nami, Sanji, Ussop, and Major Armstrong watched as the building came crashing down with the two youths inside.<p>

"Sister!" Al called out as Nami yelled, "Luffy!"

The people could only watch in silence as the compound came crashing down, hoping for any sign of the pair. A few minutes of waiting, just as they all began to fear the worst; they caught sight of the electrical blue lights that was displayed in alchemy. The rubble at the peak blew apart, and Erin and Luffy emerged from the debris.

A wave of relief flooded the people as Luffy stood. He was holding Erin by the waist on his hip as if she were just a child. Erin didn't complain as she used her remaining arm to hold on to the captain's shoulders.

She flinched when Luffy yelled at Nami.

"NAMI!"

Erin braced herself as he continued to yell.

"NAMI! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY FRIEND!"

Alphonse could see Nami trying to hold back her tears of joy.

"Right."

It was then they all realized something, but Erin yelled it out with a grin.

"What are all of you being quiet for? We won!"

That unleashed a roar of cheers as the villagers ran over and began to fling both Luffy and the mangled Erin in the air, chanting their names. The crew of the _Going Merry _gathered around Alphonse as he was being hugged by Ussop. The soldiers cheered as well, with Major Armstrong stripping his shirt in the process in celebration. After the group had accidentally dropped Luffy, the Amestrian soldiers grabbed Erin and began to congratulate her one by one, until Armstrong gave her one of his signature bear hugs.

However, the celebration was cut short when a rat-like voice called out.

"Alright! Hold it right there!"

The voice came from a Marine officer with a rodent-like hood on his head. The soldiers behind him held their guns ready as he continued.

"Chichichi! What a lucky day today is. Very nice. I saw the entire fight and I must say good work. I can only assume that your victory here was some sort of bizarre accident. I never thought the Fishmen would lose to riffraff like you and your crew."

From what Erin could make out was that this officer wasn't seeing the soldiers hidden behind the crowd. Remembering the second part of the mission, Erin flagged down Armstrong and whispered as the Marine officer continued to speak his dominance. When the officer ordered the people to give them their money, Armstrong called out.

"Hold it right there!"

The crowd parted to allow the group of Marines to see the Amestrian soldiers with their guns ready with Armstrong and Erin in the lead, clearly outnumbering the Marines. This caught the officer off guard.

"What the hell? Who are you?"

"Major Alex Louis Armstrong. State Alchemist of the Amestrian Military."

"Fullmetal Alchemist: Erin Elric. State Alchemist of the Amestrian Military."

Both State Alchemists bore their silver watches as their badges, letting them know that they were real and serious.

This surprised the Marines.

"What! The Amestrian Military? But what are you doing here? This is strictly Marine business!"

"Not anymore." Erin spoke. "Our superiors have been keeping tabs on these islands ever since Arlong came into the picture. When we saw that the Marines were doing nothing, Führer King Bradley sent us here to take care of it. We were also told to look out for and arrest the Marine that was supposedly funding Arlong. And from what we heard, that's you."

The rat moved back as Armstrong spoke.

"Under the authority of Amestris and its people, we hereby place you under arrest!"

But before the Amestrian Military could do anything, the Straw Hats ganged up on the group of Marines and beat them up. Armstrong was about to protest when Erin stopped him.

"Let them do what they have to do."

When the Marines were beat up, Nami spoke.

"This is for shooting Nojiko. And also for mercilessly destroying Bellomere's tangerine orchard."

She then wacked the guy with one hit of her staff, sending him into the water. But just as the Amestrians were about to go in and arrest him, Nami halted them.

"Just a second, guys."

She then walked over and pulled the whiskers of the Marine as she spoke.

"What you're gonna clean up after those Fishmen. Then you're gonna help rebuild the town of Gosa. And you're not going to lay a finger on any of the money or valuable in Arlong Park. That's the island's money now. Got it?"

"R-right. I'll do anything you say."

"And there's one more thing: GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY, JERK!"

"I promise. I promise. "I'll give every Beli back."

The soldiers could on watch as the Marines rowed away as fast as they could after giving all the money they stole from Nami back. The Amestrians looked at Nami with a questioning look.

"Why didn't you let us arrest them, Miss Nami?" Armstrong asked.

"Because this is a problem for the World Government. Hopefully, they can take care of that leech. Besides…"

She then looked at the Elric Siblings with a smirk.

"…I, for one, don't want the country of two of the island's heroes to go to war because of him."

This earned a grin from all of the Amestrians on the island as the town doctor told everyone to spread the news of Arlong's defeat and celebrate. As they did, Erin and Al were carried back to Cocoyashi to take to the clinic among the other injured parties.

All on the island were completely unaware that more Amestrians had just arrived. One a childhood friend of the Elric's.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile in Amestris...<strong>

"So. Arlong has been defeated and the Marine Branch in charge of the island has been kicked out. What an unplanned predicament." Spoke a sultry woman to her two companions.

One was stout and fat with a look of hunger in his eyes. The other, lean and average height with an insane look in his.

"So now what? Does Father still need that island?" The lean man asked.

The woman shook her head.

"No. Arlong would have been useful if his temper was kept under control. He lost it and now he is no longer in our interests."

She then opened a closet door to reveal a Fishman falling to the ground, tied up and gagged.

"Do you know what we do with those who waste our time, Mr. Sai?" The woman asked.

The Fishman, Sai, could only whimper under his gag. These three were not humans. They were far worse.

It was then the woman snapped her fingers.

That was the signal for the fat man to devour the Fishman alive.

"What do we do now?" The lean man asked as he watched his cohort eat the Fishman.

"Fullmetal and her brother are on the island as we speak. And according to Mr. Sai, the captain of a small band of pirates wants them to join. Wrath is going to allow it. Father's orders."  
>"But why?"<p>

The woman gave a malicious grin.

"We have to prepare our sacrifices."

* * *

><p><em>Please read and review.<em>


	6. Celebrations, Hellos, and Revelations

**Chapter 6**

**Celebrations, Salutations, and Revelations**

_A bit of an announcment. "Fullemetal Pirate," along with "The Legend of Sonic: Twilight Princess," and "The Weapon Hostess," have been nominated for awards on a European site: The Sunset Park._

_Fullmetal Pirate is nominated for Best Comedy and Best Original Story. It's Thread has 25k+ subscribers and 59k+ followers.  
><em>

_Wish me Luck! :-)_

* * *

><p>Erin tried to cover her ears as Zoro was getting stitched at the other side of the room.<p>

"You dumbass! Did you think this would heal on its own? Seriously, pirates are supposed to be smarter than this."

Erin placed her head between the bed and the pillow as the doctor continued to scold Zoro.

"Don't you have a ship's doctor with you?"

"A doctor, huh? Never thought of that. Good idea." Spoke a familiar voice.

Erin removed her pillow and looked to find Luffy looking into the window over Zoro.

"But we need to get a musician first, right?"

"Why's that?" Zoro asked.

"`Cause pirates really like to sing." Luffy answered, thinking that it was obvious.

Zoro managed to smirk at Luffy's remark.

"Heh. I know that. But why's that first?"

Having enough of trying to get to sleep, Erin removed her pillow and manage to prop herself on her arm as she spoke.

"You idiots. A doctor is the absolute _first_ thing to get. Everyone knows that."

Seeing his new friend, Luffy grinned.

"Hey, Erin. Where's Al?"

"Right here." The metal suit answered.

He was propped up against the wall next to Erin's bed. The metal parts that were scattered along Arlong Park had been collected and placed in a sack, ready for alchemy.

But as Luffy was about to speak, the door slammed open as a voice screeched.

"ERIN ELRIC! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL AUTOMAIL?"

The party, minus the two men that had blocked the fight earlier, who were sleeping, looked to find a girl of sixteen looking livid.

She had long, blond hair that was tied into a ponytail with two long bangs hanging down from the sides. She was wearing a white tank top with a short, black jacket, a dark skirt, boots, and a large toolbox strapped to her back.

The Elric's recognized her immediately.

"Winry?"

The new girl, Winry, stormed over to the bed and struck Erin on the head with a wrench. She did the same to Alphonse, making a loud 'ding' sound. The doctor, seeing this, got up and grabbed Winry's wrist, preventing her from striking the Elric's even more.

"Young lady! These two kids have just saved the island and are my patients! What give you the right to strike them like that?"

Winry narrowed her eyes.

"I'm Winry Rockbell. Miss Elric's automail mechanic from Amestris."

Luffy blinked a couple of times as he spoke.

"Automail mechanic?"

It was then that the doctor realized something.

"Does that mean that you are the one who made Miss Elric's prosthetics?"

Winry pulled her wrist out of his grasp as she spoke.

"Of course! That automail was my lovely creation! I've slaved over that and since it appears that the rest of the automail hasn't been found, I'll have to make a new set for her!"

Erin stopped rubbing her head as the sound of footsteps entered the clinic.

"Now, now, Miss Rockbell. We've come to this island at the beginning of their celebrations. No need to become upset over your work."

Erin looked up and saw the voice came from a man with dark hair in an Amestrian uniform. Now she was even more confused.

"What the-? Colonel Mustang?"

She then saw a blond woman in a similar uniform just behind him.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye? What the hell's going on? Why are you all here?"

Luffy blinked again as he looked at the newcomers, particularly the man.

"Colonel?"

It was then that he remembered Erin's conditions to get her to join his crew.

"You're the colonel Erin talked about?"

Mustang looked at Luffy and smirked.

"I'm sure she must have ranted about me once or twice. So yes, I am Colonel Roy Mustang of the Eastern Division of the Amestrian military. I am also Fullmetal's commanding officer."

Luffy was about to say something when he smelt a familiar smell.

"I need to talk to you later, Mustang. Right now, there's some meat with my name on it."

He then disappeared into the festivities.

As Winey began to measure Erin's remaining arm and leg, the patient spoke to the colonel.

"So what's going on? Why are you guys here?"

Mustang gave his answer.

"Shortly after you left for Cocoyashi, Fullmetal, the Führer decided to come here and bring some additional back up. It was my idea that Miss Rockbell came along."

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU COULD'VE BACKED US UP THE WHOLE TIME?" Erin yelled.

"We have only just arrived. No one is to blame." Hawkeye explained.

"ARE YOU KIDDING? THAT BASTARD ARLONG NEARLY SLAUGHTERED US!"

Another whack from her wrench made the alchemist quiet as Winy finished her measurements.

"Will you be quiet? I'm working on your new automail from scratch, remember?"

Ignoring his sister's angry mumbling, Al looked to the colonel and the lieutenant.

"What's everyone doing? I can tell that you came here with more people."

Mustang smirked at the armored boy.

"Quite perceptive, Alphonse. They're out joining the celebrations. Hughes is flashing his pictures of his daughter left and right and Havoc's trying to get a girlfriend here."

Erin snickered.

"Good luck with that. There's a guy, Sanji, who's also a womanizer. Looks like Havoc's got some competition."

Mustang gave a soft laugh as he continued.

"I'll let him know. The Führer is discussing the political situation to the heads of the island and is seeing if we could offer any aid in the reconstruction."

He then looked at Erin.

"Well, looks like things are going well. Fullmetal. When you are able, I want a full report on what happened here during your stay."

Erin was outraged.

"WHAT! I'M IN A CLINIC BED WITH ONLY ONE ARM AND ONE LEG AND YOU WANT ME TO WRITE A STUPID REPORT?"

"That's an order." Mustang said bluntly with a smirk.

As Mustang left, Hawkeye looked at the Elric's one last time. "Good work, you two. Call us if you need anything." She then left.

After the two officers left, Ussop, who spotted them coming out, came into the clinic.

"H-hey! I saw some Amestrian officers coming out. What's going on…?"

His words were cut off at the sight of the girl at Erin's side. As soon as he saw her, he froze on the spot, feeling strange. Erin looked up and saw him.

"Oh. Hey Ussop. I take it you saw Mustang and Hawkeye leaving?"

Ussop nodded as Winey turned to look at the odd man.

With a friendly smile, she spoke.

"Oh. Who's this?"

Seeing Ussop, Alphonse spoke.

"This is Ussop. He's a friend of ours."

He then turned his attention to the long-nosed boy.

"Ussop? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be outside with the party?"

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, Ussop answered him.

"L-like I said, I saw some Amestrian soldiers come out and I wanted to see if you two are ok."

"Oh, so you're a friend of Erin and Al?" Winry asked.

She held out her hand and gave a friendly smile.

"My name's Winry Rockbell. I'm Erin's automail mechanic."

Ussop shook her hand but turned his attention to Winry's occupation.

"Automail mechanic? You mean that you made Erin's automail?"

Winry nodded.

"Yep. And I've worked real hard into making it."

She then glared at Erin.

"Though I wish she would take care of it better."

Erin griped back.

"Hey! There are times when I _have_ to fight! And the Bastard Colonel never told me that a Fishman's teeth are stronger than steel!"

Her response was met with another whack of Winry's wrench.

"That's no excuse for being so careless!"

Ussop, wanting to prevent Winry from killing Erin, decided to ask some questions about automail.

"Uh…So Winry. How exactly does automail work?"

The sound of Ussop's question caused sparkles to appear around Winry's head as she went into, what Erin calls, 'Crazy Gearhead Mode'.

"Well, with automail, one of the most important points to be on top about are the patient's nerves."

"Nerves?" Ussop asked, interested.

Winry nodded as she remove the remnants of the old arm as she continued to speak.

"Yes. Unlike other prosthetics, automail moves thanks to the body's natural electrical pulses that powers and regulates the various electric motors and pneumatic actuators inside."

"And that's how the arm moves? Like a natural arm?"

Winry nodded.

"That's right."

Erin blinked multiple times before speaking.

"Uh…Does this mean what I think it means?"

Winry glared at the alchemist with a smirk.

"Think of this as payment for destroying my automail."

As Winry began to explain to Ussop and the doctor, who joined in the conversation a little later, Erin looked to Zoro, who couldn't figure out what was going on.

"What's your crazy mechanic gonna do to you, Fullmetal?"

Erin grimaced.

"She's gonna use me as an example in automail. Personally, I'd rather go through the installation process than this."

"And that's bad?"

"Listen to Winry's explanation, then ask me later."

* * *

><p><strong>Four Hours later…<strong>

With the help of Ussop and the curious villagers who were interested in automail, Winry was able to finish Erin's new leg. Ussop was having a blast learning about automail and was happy to be able to be a part of such an interesting project.

When the time came for Erin's leg to be installed, Winry had to be the one to connect the nerves since she was familiar with such an endeavor. The mechanics, the doctor, Ussop, even the patients in the clinic coiled with uneasiness as they heard Erin's grunts and cries of pain as the nerves connected to the wiring.

At one point, the doctor asked, "Wouldn't it be better if you gave her some sort of anesthesia to kill the pain."

Winry shook her head as she tightened another bolt.

"If I did that, then I would have no way of telling if I had connected the nerves or not."

After several minutes of installation, Erin found herself with a leg again but with one less arm and a few more minutes of lying on her bed as the nerves began to relax.

As the island mechanics and the doctor assisted and questioned Winry further while Zoro went back to catching some Z's, Ussop decided to help out in a different direction. He took some chalk that Al had given him the last time he was repaired and made another transmutation circle near Al.

The Elric's spotted this and Erin spoke.

"Fixing Al for me, Ussop?"

As Ussop continued with the finishing of the circle, he spoke.

"Hey, you guys took a lot of damage during the fight and, thanks to Al mostly, I've learned a thing or two about alchemy. It's the least I can do. Plus, Al helped me out with that water-swewing Fishman from before."

Once the circle was done, Ussop then unloaded the bag of scrap onto the center, then hulled Alphonse shortly after. To Ussop's surprise, Al was lighter than he thought. Probably because he was hollow. With Al in position, Ussop removed the helmet and placed it in the arms of Al. With a clap of his hands and further instruction from Erin, he then placed his hands on the blood seal and in no time at all, Alphonse was completely restored.

Checking his mobility, Al spoke with a gratified voice.

"Thanks, Ussop. I needed that."

Ussop rubbed his head as he chuckled sheepishly.

"He-he. It's no problem for Captain Ussop."

"Again with that?" Erin asked in an annoyed tone.

"Hey! I see you and Al are standing again."

Erin, Al, and Ussop turned to find Sanji (who was the one who spoke), Nami, and Luffy (who was still eating some meat that he grabbed from the party) walking into the clinic just as Zoro was sitting up again.

Erin grinned at the small band of pirates.

"Yeah. Now me and Al can join in the festivities."

She then noticed Nami's saddened face.

"What's wrong, Nami? You should be celebrating. Arlong's gone and the island is free."

Giving a glance to the Elric's, Nami turned to the doctor, who managed to free himself from the crowed of mechanics.

"Could you give the seven of us some privacy?"

Seeing Nami's serious look on her face, the doctor agreed and went with the mechanics and Winry into town to find some more steel.

Once they were gone, Nami spoke.

"Erin, I think it's time you and Al told the guys on what happened to you. You know…about your mom?"

Erin's eyes widened as Al let out a soft gasp. They had promised to tell the pirates what had happened that horrible day, though Erin hoped they'd forgotten.

The remaining pirates were confused and looked to the alchemists, Sanji speaking.

"You mom?"

Seeing that they owed them and that there was nowhere else to run, Erin gave a sigh of surrender.

"Find somewhere to sit. This is something we hoped never to tell."

Luffy and Nami sat on Zoro's bed as the occupant adjusted so that he could hear better. Sanji and Ussop grabbed some chairs and brought it near the two beds as Erin and Al sat down on the former's. As soon as everyone was seated, Erin spoke.

"We do owe you the tale on how Al and I got like this. A fair warning: this is not a happy tale."

The pirates nodded intentionally as they listened, while Luffy continued to eat.

"So? What happened?" He asked, gaining a glare from his crew at his insensitive question.

Taking a deep breath, Erin spoke.

"Like we've told Luffy, Al and I were born in a small town in the eastern part of Amestris called Resembool. We were the children of an alchemist, but our father left when we were young."

Erin clenched her remaining fist at the memory of her father leaving the house one last time.

Al took a turn.

"After that, the two of us stumbled upon our dad's study and read his alchemic books. It wasn't long before we discovered we had a talent for alchemy." Erin went on. "We preformed alchemy to keep our mother smiling."

Ussop interrupted.

"Your mother?"

The Elric's nodded as Al spoke again.

"Our mom was the kind of person you would do anything for. We would give anything to see her smile every day. She would comfort you when you are scared, make you smile, and make a lot of delicious meals."

The pirates, even Luffy, smiled at the thought about the Elric's mother, how kind she must be.

Then, the Elric's look changed from happy to sad.

Nami knew this part and sent a prayer to their mother as Erin spoke again.

"But one day, when I was ten and Al was nine, we came home from our garden to find our mother collapsed. After I fetched the doctor, we've learned that our mother had caught a disease that was part of an outbreak in our region at the time. That girl that left with the doctor and the mechanics here. She and her grandmother were our neighbors and closest family friends. We came into Granny Pinako's custody while Mom was bedridden."

If he could, Al would've been tearing as he spoke.

"But, after some time, our mother…passed on."

A sting of remorse struck Ussop, remembering that his own mother died the same way. It was affecting the other pirates as well, Luffy was at the point where he was slowly eating his meat.

Erin went on.

"On our mother's funeral day, Al and I made a foolish vow: to find an alchemic way to bring our mother back from the dead."

As the shock spread amongst the pirates, Erin continued.

"Some time after the funeral, we've found a teacher to teach us about parts of alchemy that weren't in our father's books. Then, after a year, we've returned to Resembool to conduct our secret project. But the problem was 'how'."

Al chimed in.

"After some intensive study, Sister and I found an article about a forbidden alchemy known as 'Human Transmutation'. We've thought we could bring out mother back to lift using this. But we were wrong."

Alphonse went on as the pirates listened intensely.

"We gathered the material needed for a human body. Then, we used a drop of our own blood for a genetic blueprint. We had everything needed for the body, but we forgot one important thing."

"And that is?" Ussop asked.

Nami answered for them. "The price of a human soul."

Erin and Al nodded as Erin went on.

"The one thing we shouldn't have overlooked. We activated the circle and everything seemed to be in place. But as soon as things seemed to be going well, Al and I noticed that our bodies were disintegrating in the process. One minute, I was trying to reach for my brother, the next I was in a white void with a giant stone gate with alchemic symbols in front of me."

"The Gate of Truth." Al answered.

"What happened afterwards?" Sanji asked, not liking where this was going.

Erin answered him.

"There, I met the keeper of the gate known as The Truth. The Truth sent me, with a grin, into the gate, where my mind was being filled with all kinds of alchemic knowledge that, for a bit, had me convinced that the secret to a perfect Human Transmutation was in there. But that desire stopped when the Truth mentioned of a toll. That was when I noticed my left leg was fading."

Taking in another breath, Erin told them of her final experience with the nightmarish night.

"When the Truth brought me back into the world, my brother had disappeared, leaving only his cloths behind. When I looked into the circle, I saw that what we had made was…something. To this day, I'm still not sure that the creature we have created in the circle was our mother."

After a slight gasp from pirates, Zoro spoke.

"What happened to it?"

"It…died after taking its first breath."

"And Al?" Ussop asked.

"Taken by the Truth as payment."

That's when Sanji asked, "So how did you get him into that armor?"

Erin answered.

"It wasn't easy. My leg was also taken as payment, so I couldn't stand. You can't tell what I was feeling when I had learned what we had done and what was the result. But with the knowledge I gained from the Gate, I knew that I was at least able to get my brother back. So I knocked down a suit of armor that was standing nearby and used the blood from my stump to make the seal you see in Al. I made similar seals on my remaining leg, my arms, even over my heart. All I wanted was to get my brother back."

Alphonse then spoke again after a long time of silence.

"When I came to, I found myself like this and Erin missing and arm and a leg, bleeding heavily. I took her to Granny's shortly after. Winry knows about what happened too."

The pirates took some time to gather their thoughts on the matter. Erin was right. The tale wasn't easy for them to take in. Even Luffy, who didn't think much about other's stories, wrapped his mind around the tragic tale. It was Nami who broke the silence.

"And shortly after that Colonel Mustang came and gave you a pep talk that got you to join the Amestrian military?"

Attention returned to Erin as she nodded.

"Yeah. He said that I could sit around and sulk over what happened, or become a State Alchemist and try to figure out a way around this. I chose the latter, using military access to try to achieve our ultimate goal."

"And that is?" Luffy asked.

Al answered. "To get our bodies back."

After blinking a few times, Zoro asked, "How? Don't you need to pay a price to do that?"

Erin responded.

"That's one way. But Al and I are searching for another."

"And how's that?" Sanji asked.

"We've recently learned of an object that can bypass the laws of Equivalent Exchange. An object so powerful that it may be our best option."

"And that is?" Ussop asked.

Al answered.

"It's known as The Philosopher's Stone. And it's really hard to find."

"And the reason we were forced into coming here was that the bastard colonel threatened to court martial me and kick me out of the military. Not that I didn't want to come here." Erin spoke.

After listening to the story, Zoro spoke.

"So. What will you two do now that Arlong's out of the picture?"

Alphonse looked to the injured swordsman.

"We go back to Amestris and continue our search."

It was then that Luffy stood up in a shot. Looking at the Elric's, he spoke.

"You've looked all over Amestris and the stone wasn't there, right?"

Erin raised a suspicious brow and nodded.

"So?"

"So? What if it's not there?"

But before Erin could answer, Mustang and Hawkeye came in and found the group. Seeing the solemn look on the pirates' faces, Mustang spoke.

"I take it that they've told you about what happened?"

The crew nodded, but Luffy walked over to Mustang. Mustang, remembering the straw hat captain, spoke.

"You've said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Luffy nodded and spoke the words that would change the Elric's fate, forever.

"Mustang. I want the Elric's to join my crew!"

* * *

><p><em>I know Luffy seemed a little OC, but please bear with me if you don't like it.<em>

_Otherwise, please review and thanks for those who are wishing me luck on the nominations._


	7. Rubber vs Flame

**Chapter 7**

**Rubber vs. Flame**

_This chapter is based on the FMA 2003 episode "Fullmetal vs. Flame", which happens to be my favorite of the 2003 episodes. _

_I will give the Elric's the nickname 'Elric Brothers' since it seems to suit them, even though Erin is a girl. This has happened before on a show called "Green Aceres."_

_I do not own FMA or One Piece._

* * *

><p>"Mustang. I want the Elric's to join my crew."<p>

After their captain said that in front of the Amestrian Colonel, the Straw Hats and the Elric Siblings gaped.

"WHAAAT?"

Mustang remained silent for a few moments, confused, before he asked, "You want to what?"

"I want Erin and Al to become pirates with me and my crew."

Erin and Al sweat-dropped at Luffy's blunt request.

"He does realize that even mentioning that he is a pirate is an invitation to get his ass kicked?" Erin whispered.

"I'm just worried about what the colonel will do." Al whispered back.

For several seconds, Mustang remained silent, as if the statement was still being processed. Then, he burst out laughing. The pirates and the alchemists gave 'wtf' looks as Luffy became annoyed.

"Hey! What's so funny?"

Mustang, after laughing enough, spoke.

"The Elric Brothers? Pirates? That's a laugh!"

Nami blinked a few times before turning to Al, who was trying to keep a pissed-off Erin from attacking her commanding officer.

"Elric Brothers?"

Al chuckled nervously.

"He-he. It's a nickname we have. It sounds a lot better than the Elric Siblings."

Luffy, ignoring the conversation but liking the nickname, yelled at the colonel.

"What? They'd make perfect pirates and my crew can use a couple of alchemists. Let the Elric Brothers come with us."

Mustang gave a half-chuckle as he spoke.

"It's not that they won't make good pirates. It's just that Fullmetal's country needs her and she rarely goes anywhere without her brother. Unless the Führer says otherwise, I cannot let the Elric's go."

But, as we all know about him, Luffy wasn't going to give up.

"Come on. You've got other alchemists. Can't you just use them?"

"I'm sorry, but it's not my decision."

"Then take me to this Führer guy and let me talk to him."

"The Führer is busy at the moment. And besides, he won't let two of his own citizens become pirates. That's just asking for war."

"We won't say anything about where they came from."

"But they can use alchemy and Amestris is the one country that uses an excessive amount of it. Not to mention that Fullmetal has the State Alchemist silver watch, which they can identify her as an Amestrian State Alchemist."

Luffy continued to barter with Mustang when an idea came into his mind. (_AN: Now THAT'S a surprise.) _

"How about a fight? If I win, the Elric's come with us. If you win, they stay with you."

Nami muttered in disbelief.

"He just got done with Arlong, beaten up pretty badly, and now he wants to fight an Amestrian colonel. He's a complete idiot."

Erin became pissed off and yelled.

"MY BROTHER AND I ARE NOT PRIZES TO BE WON, YOU IDIOT!"

Mustang was about to protest when Hawkeye came into the clinic.

"Colonel. The Führer's here."

The colonel and the Elric's stood at attention as a middle-aged man with an eye patch over his left eye walked into the clinic, soldiers standing guard outside.

"Now what's this I hear about a fight over the Elric's?" The man asked.

The colonel spoke, saluting.

"Führer King Bradley, sir! This is the man who, according to the locals, fought alongside Fullmetal and her brother. He's requesting that the Elric's go with him to become pirates. I, of course, said no, but he is persistent. He has also just recently stated that he and I should fight, the victor keeps the Elric's."

The Führer thought this over for a minute before he gave a smile.

"I think I am going to allow this fight, provided that it is held within the outskirts of the village."

The Elric's, the colonel, and the pirates gaped in shock. Well…except for Luffy, who was smiling.

"Thanks, Führer-guy. But why not just let the Elric's come with us?"

Bradley answered him.

"I want to see if I can entrust a fine young alchemist and her brother to a group of pirates. Also, it'll be quite entertaining to the villagers and the Amestrians that are present on this island."

Ussop looked toward Erin.

"Hey, Erin. Do you think Luffy stands a chance against the colonel?"

Erin looked at him as if she was unsure and sure at the same time.

"Just have the doc nearby and be ready with burn ointments."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

* * *

><p><strong>Several miles outside Cocoyashi…<strong>

"Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the first ever International Festival of the Land and Sea! A guaranteed break from that soldier grime and entertainment for you who have been freed from the Fishmen!"

A dark-haired man known as Lieutenant Colonel Hughes yelled into a microphone as the soldiers, villagers, the Führer, and the pirates watch around the center of a large circle that has been blocked with alchemy to keep the public from the line of battle.

"Incidentally…"

Hughes called out as he pulled away a tarp that covered a twenty foot tall picture of a little girl in pigtails holding a teddy bear. He then went into Daddy-mode, much to the annoyance of the soldiers.

"…my daughter, who turned three this year! Isn't she adorable?"

The soldiers began to yell out their annoyance and throwing stuff until a bucket hit the portrait, causing it to wobble and fall forward, onto Hughes.

"No! Don't fall on Daddy! Elisia!"

The soldiers snickered while the villagers sweat-dropped. The Elric's and the remainder of the Straw Hats were standing with a quartet of soldiers who the Elric's knew well: Jean Havoc, Kain Fuery, Vato Falman, and Heymans Breda. Nami was holding onto Luffy's hat and Winry joined the gang shortly after hearing about this fight.

Nami sweat-dropped.

"What's with that guy?"

Erin sighed.

"He's an old friend of ours. He has a habit of gushing about his daughter. But he's very useful when it comes to investigations, I'll give him that."

Recovering from the crash, Hughes spoke into the mic.

"Alright! On to the main event! In the Blue Corner, the Flame Alchemist and Hero of the Eastern Rebellion: Colonel Roy Mustang! Give it up!"

Mustang became annoyed as the soldiers called out, booing him.

"Boo!"

"You just want a promotion!"

"Give me back my girlfriend!"

Hughes spoke again.

"And in the Red Corner. The Captain of the Straw Hat pirate crew and one of the heroes of Cocoyashi Village. Let's hear it for Monkey D. Luffy!"

The villagers and soldiers who were on the island when Luffy and Erin took down Arlong cheered for him as Erin whispered, "I can't believe he's doing this."

Hughes then spoke into the mic again.

"Our fighters had made an interesting bet just before the fight. If Luffy wins, then the Fullmetal Alchemist: Erin Elric and her brother, Alphonse Elric, will join the Straw Hats as pirates! But Mustang is going to put up a fight, so place your bets, people!"

With the crowd distracted, Erin called out to Luffy.

"Hey, Luffy! Don't underestimate Mustang, ok? He may not look like it, but he's a tough fighter, so be careful."

But Luffy didn't heed her warning.

"Relax, Erin. This colonel won't be much to take care of."

"Famous last words." Erin muttered to her brother.

Hughes then yelled into the microphone again.

"Fighters get set…!"

But he then put down the might, turned on his heel, and ran for it.

"READY-AND-FIGHT!" He screamed.

Luffy, who looked to see the man run away, turned his head to face his opponent. But Mustang was too quick.

"Too slow."

The colonel then snapped his fingers, causing an explosion at Luffy. Thankfully, the pirate captain jumped back, but was surprised at Mustang's sudden abilities.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot!"

But upon seeing the upcoming explosion, Luffy turned and ran, falling forward as the explosion behind him took place.

Mustang, in turn, decided to give a lecture to his rubbery opponent.

"A soldier uses hastiness over cleverness. Means there are no cheap shots, boy. Strike quickly and you'll end it quickly, too."

As Luffy dodged to try and get a clear shot, the pirates (minus Zoro who's at the clinic sleeping as always) gaped at the spectacle in front of them.

"Holy crap, how does he do that?" Ussop asked in both amazement and horror.

Erin explained it to him and the others around her.

"It's in the gloves. The colonel's right glove is made of a special material called 'Ignition Cloth'. When he snaps his fingers, it makes a spark. After that, he uses alchemy to change the oxygen density in the air. And boom! Bombs on command."

Luffy ran as the explosions kept coming. He had never faced such an opponent and he had to take him out quickly.

"Just wait until I stop running!" He screamed as he jumped into the crowed of soldiers, concealing himself until he can find an opening to strike.

Mustang examined the crowd, the soldiers looking at him warily.

"Looks like I can't torch you all."

He then smiled as he called out while Luffy was within a group of unfamiliar soldiers.

"Shame really. And I have this nice, juicy meat sitting right here."

That caused Luffy to pop his head over the crowd.

"Whoa! Meat?"

Mustang smirked.

"If your opponent has a hearty appetite, seek to irritate and take advantage of his stupidity."

As he raised his hand, the entire section and Luffy gasped at what he was going to do.

SNAP!

Soldiers were flying into the air like fireworks while the remainder of the crowd ran a ways back. Ussop screamed.

"You didn't tell me that he's willing to flambé his own men to get at Luffy!"

"I wasn't the idiot who challenged the guy who's known as the "Flame Alchemist" here!" Erin yelled back.

With the dust and ash all around him, Mustang spoke as he looked for his target.

"Ok. Maybe I overdid it."

He then spotted something in the distance.

"Need more?"

He raised his hand but halted when he saw that it was a pile of stone made to look like Luffy's body. And just as he was about to react, Luffy, who had grabbed a sharp rock during the explosion, ran up to Mustang and sliced the colonel's glove to ribbons.

"Damn!" Mustang cursed.

Luffy grinned as he tossed the rock aside and began to reel his arm.

"Without that glove, you can't make flames anymore, can you?"

He then readied his attack.

"GUM-GUM…"

Then fired at the colonel.

"…PISTOL!"

But just as the fist was about to make contact with him, Mustang pulled his left hand out of his pocket, which held the mate of the first glove that was now gone.

Luffy saw this and screamed. With a snap of his fingers, Mustang sent a blast at the pirate. When the smoke cleared, the crowd could see that Luffy's arm was on fire.

"Aah! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!-!" Luffy cried out repeatedly as he tried to put out the flame.

Mustang was about to fire again when the Führer clapped, which got the colonel's attention as Luffy was preoccupied with the flames.

"Now, that's enough. An excellent fight brought on by two skilled fighters."

Seeing that this meant the end of the fight, Mustang saluted.

"We are honored by your compliment, sir."

But Luffy protested, despite the flaming arm.

"Don't stop now! We're not done!"

The Führer smiled.

"That may be true. But if I let you two go on, it would be much harder for just the two of you to clean up. Besides. I think the flames on your arm could use some dousing."

That brought Luffy back to the flames on his arm and remembered the pain.

"YEOUCH! WATER! WATER! WATER!"

He then grabbed Erin's arm, who was sprawled out on the ground thanks to one of Mustang's explosions, and ran with her to the nearest source of water in the area: the ruins of Arlong Park. He ran over fallen soldiers and pot holes as he hurried to the water. Erin protested.

"What the hell? Luffy! Why are you dragging me along?"

As the pair ran off, the Führer walked over to Mustang, still looking at the alchemist and the pirate.

"You know, Mustang, I have been having an idea for some time involving the sea. But I was unable to find who would be perfect for such a task and how. Now, I think I have what I needed to create such an idea."

This caused Mustang to raise an eyebrow.

"By chance does it involve the Elric's and the pirates?"

The Führer nodded.

"We need to talk about this in secrecy for the next two days. Until the pirates are ready to cast off."

Mustang saluted, wondering what the leader of Amestris was up to.

"Sir!"

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later…<strong>

Two days after the fight and everyone was partyed out. The reason why Luffy drug Erin along with him was so that he'd had an anchor on land while he jumped into the sea to put out the flames, with Erin yelling angrily.

"YOU COULDN'T HAVE JUST STOP, DROP, AND ROLLED?"

Once he was cooled off, Luffy then went to work with Mustang to repair the damage at the 'arena' while Erin returned to the clinic to wait for her automail.

Al spent some time with Nami, helping her to gather the gold she had collected over the years and bundle them for the village.

He asked if she was going to go with the pirates, but she gave no answer. Smiling at him, she told him that she would have his answer in the morning. When morning came, Erin was waiting at the docks with Al, her new automail fully made and attached that morning.

Rubbing her shoulder, Erin muttered, "You'd think that she'd find a way to install without putting her patients in pain by now."

Al shook his head.

"At least she didn't have to do surgery on you again. I'd hate to think about what would've happened if Arlong had bit you."

Erin placed her fists on her hips and spoke.

"Then I'd kick his ass some more. What else?"

As they were about to board the Amestrian ship, one of the guards held up his hand, stopping the Elric's.

"Hold on, Miss Fullmetal. The Führer and the colonel want to talk to you at the _Going Merry._"

Remembering that the _Going Merry _was the Straw Hats' ship, the Elric's made their way down the dock until they were next to a schooner with a goat's head at the bow.

As the soldier had told them, the Führer and Mustang were waiting for them with Winry and the crew at the ship.

"What's going on?" Erin asked.

Bradley spoke.

"Fullmetal Alchemist: Erin Elric. I am giving you a new and unique post for your services."

Erin raised her eyebrow.

"What new post?"

"Fullmetal, I am giving you the orders to go with this pirates and journey along the Grand Line as Amestrian Privateers. From now on, you and your brother are members of the Straw Hat Pirates."

The Elric's were silent for a few moments before…

"WHAAAT!"

Luffy, hearing this, smiled happily.

"You mean we can take them with us?"

Bradley nodded at the captain.

"That's right. From now on, they are your crewmates, providing that they'd send a report every now and then."

Luffy jumped into the air.

"Yes! Thanks, Führer-guy!"

The Elric's couldn't believe it. The Führer of Amestris was ordering them to become pirates. Ussop waved down to the siblings.

"Hey! Welcome aboard!"

Zoro remained indifferent while Sanji twirled in love-mode.

"Now I know Amestris has got to be a great country to let you come with us, Erin!"

After hearing this, Winry spoke to the colonel, practically scolding him.

"Wait a minute! Am I hearing this right? You want the Elric's to become pirates? In an open ocean and this Grand Line place with no automail repair places for miles where they could get hurt or worse?"

Mustang turned to Winry and spoke.

"Führer's orders, Miss Rockbell. The Elric Brothers will have to go with them."

Winry then folded her arms.

"Then I'm coming too!"

Erin and Al were becoming overwhelmed by this new information. Erin was about to protest when the Führer held up his hand and spoke.

"That's an excellent idea, Miss Rockbell. I know you have instructed Mr. Ussop in automail, but the ship will need and automail mechanic in case of emergencies. You can also call this a 'world tour' when you are not working."

Winry gaped; surprised that Bradley was saying such a thing, though the thought of a world tour appealed to her. But what about her grandmother?

Mustang knew what she was thinking about and spoke to her.

"Don't worry. I'll let your grandmother know what's going on and I'll send one of my men from time to time to check on her."

Erin was about to protest when Al stopped her and brought her and Winry over for a huddle.

"What is it, Al?"

Alphonse whispered to them.

"Maybe it's the best thing. I mean, we've searched for four years on Amestris and found no clues. Maybe Luffy's right. Maybe the Philosopher's Stone is in the Grand Line. This may be our only chance to find out."

The Fullmetal Alchemist gave it some heavy thought and concluded that her younger brother was right. The Grand Line may be the resting place of the Philosopher's Stone and that the orders are, in a way, giving them a chance to find out. She then looked to Winry for an answer.

"What about you, Winry?"

Winry folded her arms.

"What do you think? I can't have you go around some unknown waters and destroy your automail again. I'm going with you."

Finding no other way around this, Erin looked up to Luffy, who was sitting on the railing, and spoke.

"Looks like you've got yourselves some alchemists and an automail mechanic."

The entire crew cheered at the news as the Elric's and Winry climbed up the rope ladder, the soldiers handing them their luggage.

It was then that Major Armstrong climbed up, causing Erin to ask, "You coming too, Major?"

With sparkly stars around his head, Armstrong spoke.

"The colonel wants me to see this crew in action just before you enter the Grand Line. I'll call for a ship at one of the inhabitable islands we may cross."

He then handed Erin three envelopes with the Führer's seal on the back.

"Your Letters of Marque. One for you, Alphonse, and Miss Rockbell. Think of these as your pirating licenses for Amestris."

Erin gave Winry and Al their Letters of Marque just as Sanji asked where Nami was. Alphonse gave him an answer.

"I asked her yesterday if she was going with you guys and she said that she was going to go with you guys and she said that she'd give her answer this morning."

The Amestrian gang stayed back as the crew argued about Nami's missing presence as Zoro and Armstrong began to cast off. But as they were several feet away from the dock, a flash of red hair leapt off the dock, over the water, and landed on her feet on the deck of the ship. It was Nami. She then lifted her shirt a bit, causing wallets and money purses to fall out. The crew and the villagers realized that Nami had pickpocketed them for one last run.

But to the Amestrians surprise, they weren't mad that she'd stole, but the fact that she didn't say good-bye. Winry walked over to Nami and spoke.

"What was that for, Nami? Why did you pickpocketed them?"

Nami smiled at her new crewmate.

"I'll tell you later. For now, let's get underway to the Grand Line!"

Armstrong and Erin saluted as the soldiers, Mustang, and the Führer saluted them off.

Mustang then called out, "Hey, Fullmetal! Try not to die on this voyage, alright?"

Erin smirked. "Not a chance, Mustang! Not a chance!"

As Cocoyashi Village faded into the distance, Erin, Al, and Winry could only smile.

This was the beginning of a real adventure.

* * *

><p><em>Please Review.<em>


	8. A New Life out at Sea

**Chapter 8**

**A New Life on the Sea**

_Ok. It's a bit of a short chapter this time. But I only did one episode. And most of it didn't involve the Straw Hats directly. And I really want to get to the Alabasta Arc._

_For the money, I'll be doing it in Yen and Euros, since I have no idea what the cenz-Beli exchange rate would be._

* * *

><p>"No way! You've raised your prices again? That's a little steep, don't ya think? Raise your prices again and I'll stop paying!"<p>

Erin groaned as she woke up in the girl's cabin of _The Going Merry_ to the sound of Nami complaining about the newspaper bird's prices. It had been a full day since she, Alphonse, and Winry joined the Straw Hats, mostly by orders of the Führer. The only person who wasn't a legitimate pirate was Major Armstrong, though he did take a liking to the pirates.

The day before, Erin had been forced to take some seasickness pills and turn in early as the others enjoyed the welcoming party that the rest of the crew decided to throw them. However, she did manage to catch a few glimpses of the others before she went to bed.

Nami, Ussop, and Winry were setting up an automail shop within one of the empty parts of the schooner, with Alphonse making some alchemic adjustments to the area so that the mechanic could have her privacy and storage space for her tools. Afterwards, Winry hung out with Ussop, happily explaining more about the mechanics of automail to another 'gearhead' as Erin would call them.

Armstrong told some of his old war stories to Luffy and, sometimes, Ussop, telling them about the wonders and perils of Amestris and her military. They even thought that Armstrong stripping off his shirts was a part of the dramatics.

Meanwhile, Alphonse helped out Sanji in the kitchen by keeping Luffy out, which was a pretty good job since the armor knew alchemy. One time during the day, Erin had caught sight of Sanji asking her brother about his little black book that he kept with him ever since he lost his body. After Al explained that it was a list of meals and dishes he would like to try when he got his body back, Sanji happily promised the younger Elric that when he did get his body back, he would cook up the finest dishes he had and would ever make. Needless to say, Al appreciated the cook.

Now with a new day ahead of them, Erin stood on the deck and breathed in the salty sea air. Her seasickness had settled but it was going to take some time before she could get used to the water. She clenched her wallet as she heard Nami's declaration to make money for herself this time.

"Yeah, well she'd better think twice before she attacks my wallet." Erin muttered.

But then she jumped as she heard Ussop scream in pain. Running up to the upper deck, she saw Luffy pouting angrily at Sanji, who was no happy with him.

"Aw, come on! I just want one of them!" Luffy protested.

Sanji scolded him.

"No! This is _Nami's_ tangerine orchard! I won't let anyone lay a finger on it!"

He then swooned at Nami, who was reading her newspaper.

"Nami! Can you see how well I am protecting your trees?"

Without looking at the chef, Nami spoke.

"Yes. You're doing very well. Thank you."

Before they left Cocoyashi the other day, the crew decided to take some of Bellomere's tangerine trees along, now sitting in dirt on a specially built terrace so as they would stay during the toughest storms. The Fullmetal Alchemist learned after the trees came aboard that scurvy was a big problem on the high seas and that the best way to combat the disease is to eat citrus fruits. Thus explaining why there was a tangerine orchard on the ship.

"I only want one tangerine. Just give it here. You're so mean." Luffy demanded as he stuck out his tongue at the chef.

"No!" The chef protested.

"But it's not even for me."

This surprised the crew.

"Whoa! Since when did you want food that you don't want to eat?" Ussop asked.

Using the confusion to his advantage, Luffy quickly sent one of his fists at the ripest tangerine on the orchard and quickly retracting his arm, plucking the fruit at the same time, before Sanji could kick his arm.

Luffy then faced Erin, whom he had seen coming out of the cabins earlier.

"Hey, Erin! Here!"

He then tossed the tangerine to Erin, surprising the alchemist as she caught it in her hands.

"Uh…Thanks, Luffy."

Nami, seeing that the new privateer out of bed and away from the railing for once, sat up from her deck chair as she spoke.

"Hey, you're up. It's almost noon and we were beginning to think you would never wake up."

Still clutching both the tangerine and her stomach, Erin answered her.

"It's really that time? Man, I must've been really sick."

"I saw you and I figured that maybe you need some food to help." Luffy spoke before he turned a set of narrowed eyes at Sanji. "But someone was being mean and not letting me have one."

Sanji folded his arms as he scolded the captain again.

"You never told me it was for Erin, you idiot."

Deciding to ignore the bickering pair, Erin knelt down and placed her tangerine on the deck. The crew, minus Zoro, who was taking a nap; Armstrong; who was manning the rudder; Al and Winry, who were in the latter's workshop; watched in awe as Erin used her alchemy to break the fruit into wedges, peel off and seeds out of the exposed flesh. The wedges sat on the skin so as not to be contaminated by the floor.

Like before, the four crewmembers marveled at her alchemy with Luffy and Ussop's reactions over 'marveled'.

"That is still so awesome, Erin!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Yeah. I doubt it'll never stop impressing us."

Erin picked up the wedges, throwing the peels into the compost for the trees, and handed the seeds to Nami, who graciously took them.

"Thanks, Erin."

"No problem. And I have to say that these tangerines taste really good." Erin replied as she began to eat the wedges.

It tasted like an orange to the elder Elric as Nami went back to her newspaper.

But as she looked, a flyer flew out of the newspaper and landed face up on the deck. At the sight, the four crewmembers screamed as Erin picked up the parchment and examined it. It was a wanted poster for the arrest of Monkey D. Luffy. She looked at the reward money and read it as thirty million belis. Luffy took the poster as Erin calculated the money in Cenz, Amestrian money.

After some calculations, Erin's eyes widened as she calculated the price of Luffy's head to 2,977,844,834 cenz. That was almost three billion cenz! And to Erin's surprise, the guys began to celebrate the bounty as if it was good news. Thankfully, Nami was with her on this one.

"You guys don't seem to get a grip of how dire the situation is. This means all of our lives will be in constant danger."

"I can vouch for that. This is no time to be staying in one place for too long."

Sure enough, _The Going Merry _was approached by a navy ship. It passed them at first, and then made its way back to the _Merry._ But when Erin got a better look at it, she saw that it was a damaged schooner.

"Looks like it just came out of battle. That thing barely floats." Luffy commented as he and Ussop looked from the railing.

"That's a real shame. Putting scrap ships in the sea." Ussop commented.

It was then that a lavender-haired man with iron hand bracers bellowed at them.

"This is not a scrap ship! Are you guys' blind? Have you forgotten the face of Iron Fist Fullbody?"

"Oh yeah! You're the marine guy I saw one time." Luffy remembered. "Are you stranded? Need some help?"

But Fullbody look made Erin figure that he wasn't here for help. He then ordered his ship's cannons to attack, but Erin appeared before them by the _Merry's_ cannons.

"Hey! Why don't you guys back off?"

With a clap of her hands, Erin used her alchemy to change the cannons into fresh-looking ones with flames painted around the opening of the cannons' barrels and purple markings near the fuse. And before the marines could react, large fists shot out of the cannons and, with great force, sent the scrap ship flying.

Luffy laughed as Ussop gaped at Erin.

"Are you crazy? What about your country?"

Erin answered the long-nosed chicken as she rubbed her right shoulder.

"Hey, the colonel and the Führer said that I was a pirate now. So I'm allowed to defend the crew with or without my alchemy. Besides, that Fullbody guy was giving me a headache."

* * *

><p>A while after the Fullbody incident, the entire crew and Armstrong were circling a map with Nami examining it.<p>

"We're getting closer. We've almost made it to the Grand Line."

She then pointed to a landmark that looked like a mountain with five channels going into it.

"Looks like the only way there is through here. At Reverse Mountain."

Zoro groaned.

"What a pain. There's got to be some other way."

It was Sanji's turn to speak.

"There's not. From what the Old Man told me, that's the only place to enter."

"Well, how come?" Ussop asked the chef.

"It's really dangerous."

"Yeah. But how come?"

"I've told you what I already know! Geez!"

Nami began to speak.

"See, the reason is…"

But was interrupted by Luffy.

"Hey! I got an idea! Why don't we just sail straight into it?"

Nami growled before she spoke to Luffy.

"Are you really that clueless?"

"My way sounds a lot funner. Plus, it'd be real better if we just dive into it, you know?"

Deciding to ignore the captain, Erin turned her attention to Nami.

"Hey, Nami."

"Yeah, Erin?"

"Since us Amestrians, and the idiot captain, have no clue about the Grand Line, can you tell us anything about why we should not go straight into it?"

Nami answered, relived at the new source of sanity on the ship.

"I'll tell you later. But first, before we set sail for the Grand Line, we need to head straight for this island. It's called 'Lougetown.' And it's pretty famous."

"Why's that?" Alphonse asked, curious.

Nami answered.

"It's the town where the old King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, was both born and killed."

The explanation seemed to have more of an effect on the Sea Folk as the younger of the Amestrians became confused. Armstrong, who was standing quietly, spoke.

"You know, I've also heard of this Lougetown. It's where an alchemist I knew from the Ishvalen War is supposed to live."

"An alchemist living in Lougetown? Why there?" Sanji asked.

"I am not sure, but I think that, if he's still there, the Elric's and I should pay a visit."

The brought the attention of the Elric Brothers.

"Why?" Erin asked.

Armstrong answered her.

"Because from what I have known, the alchemist, the Crimson Alchemist: Dr. Tim Marcoh, was said to have researched various theories about the Philosopher's Stone."

That was all it took for the Elric's to back up Luffy's desire to go and drop anchor at Lougetown. Supplies, the places where the King of the Pirates lived and died, and the possibilities of information regarding the Philosopher's Stone.

As they set off for the islands, Erin approached her brother, who was looking out to the sea.

"You ok, Al?"

Al nodded.

"I can't believe at how close we are, sister. If Dr. Marcoh really did such research, then Luffy was defiantly right about the stone being at sea."

Erin nodded.

"Yeah. And if we're lucky, we'll be able to create our own Philosopher's Stone. We're nearly there, Al. We're nearly there."

After a moment of silence, Al remembered something.

"Oh! I almost forgot."

He then turned to his elder sister.

"I was explaining how I am unable to sleep and eat to the crew when Nami and Ussop came up with an idea."

Erin raised her eyebrow at this.

"And what's that?"

"I can be the Night shift for the crew! I can manage the helm and keep a lookout during the night while everyone gets the rest their bodies need."

Erin blinked a few times before smiling at her brother.

"That's great, Al! I'm glad you get to do something other than watch me sleep, now."

The armored boy laughed as Ussop hailed the Elric's to the galley.

"Come one, little brother. We've got work to do."

It was then that the Straw Hat crew set sail to the famous island, unaware that their captain was being targeted by two old foes. Both wanting vengeance against him.

* * *

><p><em>Please review.<em>


	9. Loguetown and Dr Marcoh

**Chapter 9**

**Loguetown and Dr. Marcoh**

_This chapter is based mostly on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episode 6 and One Piece episode 48. I do not own either of them. If I did, this would not be a fic._

* * *

><p>It was a couple of days after the decision to port in Loguetown that the Straw Hats were on the famous island. The first one off was, of course, Luffy. Each of the pirates had their own plans on what to do while they were there, but only goals that rivaled in ambition were Luffy's desire to see the plaza where the former King of the Pirates was executed, and the Elric's search for the mysterious Dr. Tim Marcoh in their quest for the Philosopher's Stone.<p>

After Luffy took off without as much as a plan or direction, the Elric's looked to the rest of the crew, knowing that Major Armstrong was going to go with them.

"So what are you guys gonna do?" Erin asked.

"Well, I'm gonna stock up on provisions. Not to mention to check out the ladies here."

Erin rolled her eyes as Sanji oogled the various women that inhabited the town.

"Well I don't know about you. But I'm gonna check out the stores here." Ussop spoke.

"Me too. I wanna get some things for my workshop." Winry spoke.

"Such as?" Al asked.

"Oh, the usual. Nuts, bolts, wires, new tool, metal, that sort of stuff."

Zoro then spoke, thinking.

"You'd think there'd be a sword smith around here."

Nami then looked mischievously at Zoro.

"I thought you were broke. Are you gonna steal a sword?"

Zoro rolled his eyes as Nami looked at the alchemists.

"I take it you three are going to find this Dr. Marcoh guy?"

All three nodded.

"Dr. Marcoh is by far the only lead we have if we're gonna find the Philosopher's Stone. He's, by far, our main objective today."

Nami folded her arms in a relaxed pose and spoke.

"Well, good luck, you three."

After saying farewell, everyone left in their own direction. The only groups were Ussop and Winry on their shopping spree and the alchemists on their 'visit.' After the separation, the two mechanics came across an unusual a store. Of course, Ussop was excited.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Whoa! Crazy! I think I've died and gone to 'Trinket Heaven!'"

Winey looked around and thought differently.

_"It's just a bunch of junk."_

It was at that moment that the storeowner greeted the two.

"Come in. Come in. In this humble store, almost everything you see is a priceless pirate artifact from adventure to the Grand Line. I am certain you two will not find such a store in the entire world."

Winry didn't believe him, but Ussop did.

"S-so then everything here has been to the Grand Line and back? Is that what you're telling me?"

Winry rolled her eyes as the storeowner showed Ussop everything in the store. Clutching the Belis in her pocket, Winry called out to Ussop.

"I'm gonna go to the hardware stores and any automail stores that are on the island. Don't go crazy with your money, ok?"

But Ussop was too enthralled with the junk that he fully grasp that Winry left.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile with the Elric's…<strong>_

Erin and Alphonse followed the major down the various streets and alleyways of Loguetown in their search for the Crimson Alchemist. It wasn't until after the separation from the crew that Armstrong admitted that he did not know the location of Marcoh's home, much to Erin's frustration. Since they couldn't find a phone booth anywhere, the three alchemists wondered down the various streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of Marcoh.

It wasn't until they were back on the market street that Armstrong saw something in the crowed. Raising his arms, Armstrong called out to a man in the middle of the street.

"Dr. Marcoh! Dr. Marcoh! Is that you? It's me! Alex Louis Armstrong from Central!"

The man that Armstrong called out to, a greying man in a brown suit, widened his eyes in fear as he recognized Armstrong. So instead of waiting for the three alchemists, Marcoh ran. Armstrong would've run after him but the crowd got too thick for him to move though.

"Drat. Why did he run?"

Erin couldn't see because of her stature and the crowd, but Al saw the man and looked to Armstrong.

"Is that Dr. Marcoh?"

Armstrong nodded as he got out a sketchbook and began to draw. In just a matter of minutes, he drew a perfect portrait of the doctor. The Elric's were impressed.

"Wow, Major. You could really draw." Erin spoke.

Armstrong went into sparkly-mode and then spoke proudly at the Elric's.

"The art of portraiture has been passed down through the Armstrong line for generations."

(_A/N: I love those 'Armstrong line for generations' lines. lol)_

Erin rolled her eyes as Armstrong began asking the surrounding townspeople about Marcoh.

One of the people spoke.

"That looks like Dr. Marrow."

This confused the three alchemists.

"Marrow?" Armstrong asked.

The man spoke.

"Many of the town's doctors have either been busy with marine and pirate patients. Then Dr. Marrow came. He's quite the miracle worker. He'll see any kind of patient, even pirates. Just a flash of this strange light and then you're cured."

The mention of the strange light caught the interests of the alchemists even more. After receiving the address to Marcoh's home, Armstrong and the Elric's made their way passed the crowed and down a few more streets until they came to one of the quieter places of the island.

Marcoh's home was a simple white townhouse with a flat roof. No doubt he would go up there sometimes to relax.

"This is it." Erin spoke as she opened the door.

"Hello-!"

Erin jumped as Marcoh fired a pistol at her, missing her thankfully. He then demanded with hostility.

"Now tell me what you're doing here! Are you trying to bring me back?"

Armstrong held up his hands in defense.

"Please, doctor. Calm down."

But Marcoh was shaking as he continued to hold his gun at the trio.

"I don't want to go back. Anything but that!"

"That's not it. Please, listen."

"So you're here to silence me, then!"

"No! Nothing like that."

"I won't be tricked by you!"

It was then that Armstrong instinctively grabbed Al and threw him at Marcoh, causing him to lose his gun.

"CALM DOWN, MARCOH!" Armstrong yelled.

"ALPHONSE!" Erin cried out.

It took a half an hour of calming Marcoh down and another hour for him to explain why he decided to live in the ocean territories under a different name.

"So. You've changed your name and went into hiding here on this island. Far from Amestris. If the rumors I've heard can be believed that when you disappeared, you took top secret materials with you." Armstrong spoke.

Marcoh clenched his clutching hands.

"I couldn't handle it anymore. Order or no order. To have to dirty my hands with researching that 'thing' was too much."

"What thing is that?" Erin asked.

Marcoh continued.

"It took so many lives. During the civil war, so many innocent died because of it. I could spend my whole life trying and still never atone for the things I've done. But I had to do something. So I came here to be a doctor to_ save_ lives instead of _taking_ them."

The group remained silent, the air somehow becoming still.

"Doctor. What is it exactly where you ordered to do research on? What thing?" Armstrong asked.

Marcoh was silent for a moment, and then reluctantly answered.

"The Philosopher's Stone."

The trio of visiting alchemists gave silent surprised gasps as Marcoh continued, proving to them that the rumors Armstrong told the Elric's and the Straw Hats were true.

"The top secret materials I took were my research documents. And the stone itself."

Erin burst from her chair.

"Do you mean you still have it? It's here?"

Marcoh was surprised by Erin's outburst, but took out a vial from his coat pocket. In the vial was a red liquid, which confused the visitors even more.

"How can that be the stone? Isn't that a liquid?"

Marcoh answered by opening the vial and poured out the liquid onto the table. But to the travelers' surprise, the liquid didn't spread out, but kept together like a gel. Marcoh spoke again.

"The Sage's Stone. The Grand Elixir. The Celestial Stone. The Red Tincture. The Fifth Element. Just as the Philosopher's Stone is called by many names, so it can take on many forms. It is not necessarily a stone. This is an incomplete product, however. There is no way to know when it would reach its limit and become unusable."

Poking the 'stone', Erin spoke.

"Finished or not, it demonstrated plenty of power during the Ishvalen Civil War, right? Like the stone the false priest had in Liore. It was still incomplete, but it still amplified his power considerably. Imitation stones this powerful can be produced. Who's to say a complete product can't be created?"

Erin then placed her hand on the table, emitting a loud bang.

"Please, Dr. Marcoh. I need access to your research materials!"

Marcoh looked at Armstrong as if he had brought a madwoman into his home.

"Major. Who exactly is this girl?"

Armstrong answered.

"This 'girl' is a State Alchemist, doctor."

Marcoh nearly jumped back in surprise.

"What? But she's only a child."

Marcoh then pinched the bridge of his nose as he remembered the terrible war from years ago.

"After the war, there were many State Alchemists who turned in their certifications, because they refuse to serve as human weapons anymore. And now a child."

Erin angrily spoke.

"You think I don't know what I've signed up for? I know what I'm doing, but I don't have any choice. If this is a mistake, then this is a mistake I have to make. There is no other way!"

Things were silent for a moment, and then Marcoh asked why Erin would need to join the military. Erin explained everything from the use of Human Transmutation to becoming a pirate for the sake of the military and in hopes of finding the fabled stone in the sea territories. When she was finished, Marcoh examined Alphonse.

"I see. So you have committed the taboo. Amazing. The ability to transmute a specific person's soul like this. Maybe one as talented as you would be able to produce a complete Philosopher's Stone."

Erin smiled with hope in her eyes.

"So…?"

But Marcoh had a different answer.

"But I can't show you my research."

Erin expressed shock when she asked, "Why not?"

"You must not seek after the stone."

"Not even if it's to get our bodies back?"

"Never! This is the Devil's Research. Alchemist, pirate, or not, if you chase the stone, you will go through Hell!"

Erin let out another outburst.

"I've already been through Hell!"

Marcoh turned away.

"Please. Just leave."

Seeing that there was no way for them to get their hands on the research materials for the stone now, the Elric's and Armstrong left the house and went to rendezvous with the Straw Hats. They have chosen the rendezvous point to be _The Going Merry_ while they waited for the rest of the Straw Hats. Sitting on a bench that looked out to the direction to the Grand Line, Armstrong spoke to Erin as Alphonse decided to sit on the ground next to her.

"Are you sure about this, Erin?"

Erin looked at Armstrong, wondering what he was talking about.

"If an incomplete stone can be useful, you could've taken it from the doctor by force."

Erin sighed as she leaned back on the bench.

"Yeah. I wanted it so badly I could almost taste it. Still…"

Alphonse then spoke.

"But still…we don't want it so badly that we would be willing to deprive this island of their best doctor to get it."

Erin then managed a smile.

"We gained plenty knowing by finding out that the stone can be made. Now we'll just have to look for some other way to do it."

She then looked up at the _Merry. _

"Even if it means joining this crazy-ass pirate crew and tagging along on their journey."

She then looked back to the sea.

"What about you, Major? Aren't you gonna report to Central about Marcoh's location?"

Armstrong answered simply as he continued to look out toward the sea.

"I met a simple town doctor, today. I can see any real reason to report it."

Erin snickered at the remark but stopped as she heard a familiar voice spoke.

"Wait."

The alchemists looked behind them to find that it was Dr. Marcoh, panting for he had been running to find them.

"Dr. Marcoh?" Erin asked.

Marcoh pulled out a slip of folded paper from his pocket and handed it to Erin.

"This is where my materials are. If you are certain you won't regret learning the truth in the end, start looking here. Look closely, and maybe you can find the truth hidden within the truth. But, I've said too much already."

Marcoh then looked to the _Merry _and gave a light chuckle.

"You know. You can tell what kind of pirates there are just by looking at their ships. From the way you three were looking at this one, I'd say your crew is quite the bunch."

Erin managed to chuckle as Al spoke.

"Well, they may be weird, but they are not bad people."

"Although heavy on the crazy side, they're pretty decent people." Erin spoke

Marcoh then turned to head home. He waved as he continued to walk.

"I hope the day will come when you will be able to restore your bodies."

After a few steps from the doctor, Erin and Al bowed as Armstrong saluted him. Once Marcoh was gone, Armstrong looked to Erin.

"What does the paper say?"

Erin unfolded the paper and read the cryptic message on it.

"National Central Library. 1st branch."

Armstrong immediately figured it out.

"I get it. Like hiding a tree in a forest. Finding one book in that giant library will be difficult indeed. Especially since you'll be out at sea."

Erin gave a victorious smile.

"Finally, another clue about the stone."

She then looked to Armstrong.

"Hey, Major. Since this is the first inhabitable island we've come across since Cocoyashi, does that mean you won't be traveling with us anymore?"

Armstrong nodded.

"That is what my orders were."

Erin then grinned.

"Then since you know about the seas' mailing system, you can send Marcoh's notes to me without the hassle on the radio Fuery installed on the ship. I'll make the request on the _Merry _for everything in the library written by Dr. Marco right away."

* * *

><p><strong>To a short, different note…<strong>

As Erin went aboard _The Going Merry_ to contact Central, Luffy finally found the plaza where at the other side stood a fifty foot tall platform. As he looked, Luffy whispered to himself.

"This is it. This is the place where the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, was killed. And it is here…where the Great Pirate Age began."

But little did Luffy know that his presence at an old bar caught the interest of a familiar-to-us –readers smoking marine and two enemies with a deadly alliance, had set their sights on Luffy.

And his fate…

* * *

><p><em>I know it's kinda short, but it'll get better again. No offense to anyone, but I find the Loguetown arc a bit boring. It'll be better when I write the Warship Island part.<em>

_Also, I won't have Erin and Al fully decode Marcoh's notes until Vivi joins the crew._

_Please review_.


	10. To the Grand Line

**Chapter 10**

**To the Grand Line**

_I know this is extremely late. But the Loguetown arc is agonizingly painful to do. That and I had my first class reunion, so I was extremely busy. I thank Powers00 and Kiyo Hosokoawa for giving me more time._

* * *

><p>Erin was walking off the dock of the <em>Going Merry <em>when she saw Sanji returning to the ship with fresh provisions, along with a huge blue and grey fish with a trunk strapped onto his back.

"Hey, Sanji. What's with the fish?"

Sanji smirked as he began to load the supplies onto the ship.

"Won this in a cooking contest. It's a Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna. I've been wanting to cook one of these for a long time, but couldn't because they're native to the South Blue. This is impossible to get to from the East Blue because of the Grand Line."

That statement caused Erin to raise her eyebrow in suspicion.

"And they just happened to get ahold of one?"

Sanji smirk grew bigger.

"This only means that the All Blue is out there somewhere. And that just adds fuel to my fire in finding it."

Before they arrived at port, the Elric's and Winry were told of the pirates' dreams that caused them to join as a crew. Luffy's of course, was to become King of the Pirates. Zoro's was to become the best swordsman in the world, though they didn't know why other than to prove his strength with the sword. They knew Nami wanted to create a complete atlas of the world, including every detail of what is in the Grand Line.

Ussop was next to tell him of his dream, which was to be the bravest warrior in the world. Of course, Erin couldn't help but laugh, earning her a whack on the head from Winry's wrench. Lastly, Sanji told them about the All Blue. The All Blue was supposed to be a part of the world where the four oceans come together without any land blocking it. The Amestrians both agreed that such a place could exist, but one would need to do a lot of extensive traveling in order to find it.

As Alphonse and Armstrong help Sanji get the giant fish into the ship, Erin caught sight of Winry returning to the ship with Nami and Zoro, dragging Ussop by the overalls. The long nosed man was out like a light.

"What happened?" Erin asked.

Winry sighed as Zoro took over bringing Ussop onto the ship.

"Oh, Ussop spent most of his money on a bunch of useless trinkets before finding a set of useful goggle and was forced into a fight with some girl's father, who I heard was a legendary bounty hunter. Thankfully, the guy knew his dad, so he's off the hook and Ussop got his goggles. But he passed out once the bounty hunter and his daughter left."

Erin shook her head in annoyance.

"That guy's got a long way to go before he can even be a good sailor."

She then decided to tell Winry what she had learned.

"I do have some good news. Al and I found a lead to the Philosopher's Stone. I've already called the Central Library and Major Armstrong's gonna send Dr. Marcoh's research from this town."

"Well I'm glad you've found something. I only got new tools and some hardware. Some sheets of steel, a few nuts, bolts, and screws. The usual." Winry sighed.

She then looked around.

"Hey. Where's Luffy?"

Not seeing their rubber captain anywhere, Erin placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

"He's probably at the square, probably gawking at some platform where some pirate died."

She then walked to the gangplank and made her way to the dock.

"I'll get him."

"We'll go with you. No doubt Luffy's gotten himself in trouble again." Zoro spoke, equipping his old sword and two new swords.

"He's right. If I know Luffy, he's oughta be in trouble by now." Sanji spoke.

No sooner did he say that, the pirates saw some people running from the direction of the square, screaming something about bugs. This confused Erin.

"Since when has this island developed a bug problem?"

"I don't think so. I think they said 'Buggy'."

Seeing that Erin wasn't understanding what they were talking about, Nami spoke.

"Winry, get on the ship and help me and Ussop get it ready to sail. Everyone else, get to the square. Quickly!"

Winry wanted to protest, but the look of anxiety in the pirates' eyes indicated that this was something she should stay out of and went onto the _Merry._

Despite not having a clue as to what was going on, Erin and Al followed the pirates with the major right beside them.

"What's going on? Who or what is Buggy?" Erin yelled.

Zoro answered her.

"A pirate that Luffy defeated not too long ago. He looks like a clown, but he's not in for laughs. Somehow, he ate a Devil Fruit called the Chop-Chop Fruit and can divide parts of his body, making them fly around to cause damage."

"That sounds disgusting!" Alphonse called out.

"He's ugly, too. I forgot to mention that." Zoro spoke.

They made it to the square just in time as Luffy, who was locked in a stock up on the execution platform, yell out to the crowd.

"LISTEN! I'M THE MAN WHO'LL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

Erin held back her eye-rolling to get ready to fight when Zoro called out.

"Stop the execution!"

Luffy looked up from where he was and saw the five figures standing in the back of the crowd. Smiling, he yelled their names.

"ZORO! SANJI! ERIN! ALPHONSE! MAJOR!"

The crowd of civilians and pirates froze as each of the five new individuals spoke, starting with Zoro.

"Luffy, you idiot. Guess all that fooling around finally caught up with you, huh?"

"You startin' a side-show? Or is that just your look? Pretty sad." Sanji spoke, insulting Buggy.

Al and Erin called out to the crowd.

"Everyone! Evacuate the square now!"

"Yeah! We're gonna take these clowns back to the circus!"

The major then stripped himself of his shirts and readied himself, sparklies around his head.

"Evacuate now and you will bear witness to the alchemic arts that has been passed down from the Armstrong line for generations!"_ (A/N: I had to put one on for the road. :))_

Thankfully, the crowd did as they were told and ran out of the square, leaving the pirates.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy called, grinning like an idiot.

Buggy smiled maniacally.

"You've made it, Zoro. But you're too late!"

As Buggy raised his sword, Erin caught sight of this and used her alchemy to make a large pipe appear from the ground and the force of the water distracted the clown pirate.

"Hey! Who did that?!"

Buggy called out angrily. A woman, the pirate Alvida, saw what Erin did and called out to hers and Buggy's subordinates.

"Are you waiting for an invitation? Get them!"

As the pirates charged at the five, Alvida called up to Buggy.

"You better make the execution soon. We have alchemists among us."

As the small army of pirates charged, the major punched the ground and, using gauntlets that had transmutation circles on them, caused the earth underneath to quickly rise and, still punching the ground to make the transmutations, fall quickly, making the earth beat up the pirates from underneath.

Zoro and Sanji also joined in the fight, slicing and kicking their way through the group.

"We have to take down that platform!" Zoro announced.

The Elric's had heard this and were about to use alchemy when some pirates became a little too close for comfort and the siblings had to dodge and attack.

"We have to figure out a way to destroy the platform! Otherwise, they're gonna execute Luffy!" Alphonse cried out.

"I know, Al! But we need to catch a break to do so!" Erin answered as she punched a pirate in the jaw.

Buggy laughed maniacally as he called out.

"Not even Zoro, nor alchemists from Amestris can help you now!"

Hearing this, Erin clapped her hands and placed them on the ground, causing a fissure to open to trap some of the pirates. But before she could use alchemy again to take down the platform, Luffy's voice stopped her.

"ZORO! SANJI! USSOP! NAMI! ERIN! ALPHONSE! MAJOR! WINRY!"

The five allies looked up to see a surprising sight.

Despite about to be executed, Luffy was smiling.

"I'm sorry. But…I'm dead."

But just as Buggy's sword was about to make contact with the rubber man's neck, a great bolt of lightning struck the platform, engulfing it in flames as rain began to fall. The platform fell to its side and a straw hat floated gently to the ground.

And picking up and placing it on his head…was Luffy!

The Elric's were as shocked as their companions.

"No freaking way!" Erin cried out.

Thanks to an insane amount of luck, the bolt that struck the platform had struck bull's-eye at Buggy. Apparently, not noticing the dark clouds, the sword he was using, along with the height they were at, acted like a lightning rod, saving Luffy, who was now free from the stock.

Luffy laughed.

"I'm still alive! That's great."

The major and the four pirates weren't the only ones who were stunned at what had just happened. The pirates they had been fighting had their jaws on the ground in surprise. Even the cigarette that Sanji was smoking fell out on its own as the chef spoke.

"That was divine intervention."

"Don't be stupid. We've got to get back to the ship, now." Zoro spoke.

The Elric's were flabbergasted beyond flabbergasted.

"Did you see what I saw, Sister?"

"I sure have. That idiot's got to have the biggest amount of luck of anyone I have ever known."

The Major was all sparkly as he moved to the shadows, departing from the group quietly.

"This is defiantly something that I must report to the colonel."

The Major halted as he heard the familiar chuckling of Dr. Marcoh behind him.

"I take it that's the captain of the Elric's crew?"

The Major nodded as they watched Luffy join up with his crew.

"He is an interesting one, that young man. I wonder what he will bring to the Elric's on their journey."

Marcoh spoke simply as he and the Major headed to the docks.

"Who knows? But whatever they find, there's no doubt that this will be something they will never forget."

It was then that the Marines, who were watching and hiding the whole time, charged out and began their attack on the pirates, not knowing that the Amestrian Major had left or that there were still two alchemists among them. Luffy laughed as he dodged the flying bodies left and right.

"Wow. This is fun. Everyone went crazy so quickly."

Erin, still asking herself how insane her captain was, grabbed his shirt collar and spoke.

"Luffy!"

The sudden cold touch of Erin's automail, along with her being silent when she grabbed him, caused Luffy to flail about, only to calm down at the sight of the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Oh! Erin. It's you."

"Enough of this! We've got to get out of here!" She told him.

Sanji, who joined up with them along with Zoro and Alphonse, spoke.

"We've got to get to the _Going Merry_ now or we'll never get off this island! And we sure as hell won't get to the Grand Line."

"Really? That's no good! Run!"

_"FINALLY! A smart decision!" _Erin thought annoyingly as the four pirates ran out of the square.

They charged their way through the lines of marines that came, knocking them out as they continued to run.

They were halfway down the street when Zoro called out.

"We've better pick up the pace or we're toast!"

"Run! Just keep running!" Luffy laughed.

But just as he said that, the pirates heard the sound of some marines yelling as they ran after them.

"Damn it! These marines are like roaches! Wanna stop and fight them?" Zoro spoke.

"There's no time for that!" Sanji spoke, only to go into Lover-Boy mode as they caught sight of a young woman with short, black hair, standing in the rain. "Whoa! Who is that?"

Erin and Al listened in as the woman spoke.

"I didn't know you were Zoro. You lied. You're just another liar!"

The five stopped and Sanji yelled at Zoro.

"Oh, great! What did you do to that girl?"

Erin, annoyed, grabbed Sanji by the back of his shirt as Zoro approached the woman and spoke.

"You've never asked me what my name was, did you. So I never lied, did I?"

The woman yelled at him.

"You know there is no way I'm going to allow someone like you leave town with such a legendary sword! Give it to me! The_ Wado Ichimonji_! Right now!"

The Elric's watched as Zoro gripped the white-sheathed sword and smirked.

"Come and get it."

Erin refused to believe it after the two swordspersons began to fight.

"You've got to be kidding me. She's fighting us for a stupid sword? That idiotic!"

"Come on, you guys! Let's go!" Luffy called, grabbing Erin like a sack of potatoes and ran, Alphonse and Sanji after them.

"Zoro! If you hurt her, I'm gonna kick your ass! Luffy! You put Erin down right now!"

But Luffy didn't listen as he continued to run with Erin next to his waist. After several minutes and protesting on Erin's part, Luffy spoke.

"I see the ship! The harbor is just ahead."

But just as Erin was about to say something sarcastic to get Luffy to put her down, she spotted something blocking the road. A man and some sort of motorcycle.

"Great. Now what?" spoke Sanji as they stopped running.

The mysterious man managed to speak with three cigars in his mouth.

"Straw Hat Luffy. You're finally here. I've already told you I won't let you make it to the Grand Line without beating me first, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Luffy spoke, grinning.

The man in front of the four pirates surprisingly spoke Erin's thought.

"You're really stupid."

Sanji whispered to Luffy.

"Luffy. Let's go."

But Luffy had a different answer.

"Sanji. I'll be right there. Go on with Al and Erin."

The man approached them as Luffy finally let go of Erin's waist.

"I don't know about that. This will be the end of you."

Luffy smirked and spoke.

"Go!"

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Luffy." Sanji spoke as he took off with the Elric's.

But Erin, looking back, was having second thoughts. Just when they reached the harbor, where they saw the _Merry_ being attacked by marines with guns, Erin spoke.

"Al, help Sanji save the ship and the others. I'm going after Luffy."

"But, sister-"

"No buts, Al."

But before Al could say anything, Erin ran back into town and was shocked to find that Luffy was about to be beaten by the man with some sort of smoke attacks.

"How can this guy fight Luffy with just smoke? Smoke is a gas, not a solid. The only explanation would be that he ate a Devil Fruit!"

"You're not worth 30 million bellies. Heh. Your luck's run out." The man spoke as he kept Luffy pinned face down on the ground as he was reaching for his sword.

Erin was about to react when a man in a green cloak stopped him from readying the sword.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"It's you." The man spoke, clearly recognizing the cloaked man.

Erin was trying to get a look at the second man's features, which the opportunity was given to her by flashes of lightening. The man had prominent features that seemed familiar to her and also had a red tattoo that went down the left side of his face.

"Hey! What's going on? Who's that?" Luffy muffled as he tried to get his head up.

"How nice. Now the government can have your head." The first man spoke.

The tattooed man half-laughed.

"The world…is still…waiting for our answer."

But just before Erin could react, a sudden green wind came out of nowhere and began to blow everything in sight, including the smoking man, Luffy, and Erin. Erin kept her eyes closed as she flew, so she was unaware that the cloaked man had approached her as the wind blew, placing something in her pants pocket before she and Luffy made contact with a wall near the harbor.

"Ugh. Can someone tell me what happened?" Luffy asked.

But before Erin could answer, Nami called out from the _Going Merry,_ which was sent adrift with the majority of the crew with it.

"Luffy! Erin! Zoro!"

Blinking a few times, Erin saw Zoro getting up from a pile of rubble nearby. She figured that the green wind blew him to the harbor as well.

"Gah! Come on! We gotta go!" Zoro called.

Erin nodded and ran in the same direction as Zoro was going, but Luffy went the other way.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Erin called out, only to have her answer as Luffy grabbed onto a ruined building.

"GUM-GUM…!"

Realizing what was going on, the alchemist and the swordsman grimaced.

"Oh damn!"

"I'm not gonna like this."

Luffy laughed as he called out.

"…ROCKET!"

The two pirates tried to run, but it was inevitable as Luffy collided with them and the impact sent them all on a flying trip, which sent them into the main sail of the _Going Merry_, 3 MILES out to sea. Nami, along with Winry, ran to the pile with smile on their faces.

"You're here!"

"Don't do that again!"

Nami then spotted something on the horizon.

"Hey! Look! A light!"

"Is that a lighthouse?" Ussop asked as he kept his grip on the mast.

"It's one of the Guideposts. The entrance to the Grand Line is somewhere ahead." Nami answered.

Luffy spoke as he and his crew looked on ahead.

"The Grand Line's somewhere just out ahead."

"Do we have to go in the middle of a freaking hurricane like this?" Ussop griped as everyone smirked.

It was then that Sanji decided to speak.

"Ok. I think we should say something to mark this occasion."

The pirates agreed and gathered around a barrel. Sanji placed his left foot on the top and spoke.

"I'm going to the Grand Line to find the All Blue."

Then Luffy.

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

Zoro next.

"The world's best swordsman."

Followed by Nami.

"I'm going to the Grand Line so I can draw a map of the entire world."

Then Ussop.

"I guess I'm going…to be a brave warrior of the sea!"

The Amestrians were hesitant until Luffy spoke.

"Come one, you guys. You're going too."

Winry decided then to break the ice and placed her foot on the barrel.

"To become the greatest automail mechanic in the world."

The Elric's then looked at each other, smiling. (Sort of in Al's case.) After they grabbed as box for Erin, the Elric's placed their feet on the barrel and spoke at the same time.

**"To find the Philosopher's Stone and get our bodies back!"**

Smiling, Luffy spoke.

"And now…to the Grand Line!"

It was then that everyone lifted their leg up and cheered. With that done, everyone got down below to turn in for the night when Erin felt something in her pocket. Going into the main cabin area, she took out two pieces of paper, one smaller than the other, that we both folded into halves.

Curious and wondering how in the world they got into her pockets, she opened the larger paper first and saw that it was a sketched portrait of her and the crew. No doubt from Major Armstrong. The signature confirmed it as she saw the little note on the bottom right corner.

_**Good Luck, Elric Brothers and Straw Hats. **_

_**From Major Alex Louis Armstrong, everyone in Amestris, and Dr. Marcoh**_

Smiling, Erin placed the portrait down and took a look at the smaller paper. The Fullmetal Alchemist opened it to find a short and confusing message.

_**Take care of '**__**Him**__**' for me**_

Erin didn't understand the message, but pocketed it to decipher it later as she went down to the girl's cabin for some nice, peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>Back at the shore, the cloaked man watched the as the ship sailed onward towards its destination with a smirk.<p>

"Go! If that's what you want, then by all means. Make your dream happen."

He then turned his thoughts on the golden eyed girl that was at the scene.

"And you make sure you get my message though that thick skull of yours, Daughter of Van Hohenheim."

* * *

><p><em>Hallejuliah! Finally! I got the next chapter up. I know what you're thinking: How does Dragon know Hohenheim?<em>

_ Well, let's just say Hohenheim did more than just wander Amestris. XD_

_Next Time: The Millenium Dragon Arc._

_And Don't worry. It'll be easier for me now._


	11. Apis

**Chapter 11**

**Apis**

_Sorry for the super-long wait. The contest ended and my imagination cauldron needed a vacation from writing One Piece. Here're the results of the contest of Fullmetal Pirate._

_3rd Place: Original Story  
>4th: Comedy<em>

_If you want to see the results of my other fics in the contest, check them out on my bio._

_BTW: If any of you are wondering, Erin's seasickness will be a running gag until Drum Island._

_I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist and One Piece._

* * *

><p>It was two days since Lougetown and both Erin and Luffy were getting impatient on their way to the Grand Line. For Luffy, his reasoning was finding One Piece. For Erin, it was to get onto some dry land and calm her queasy stomach. No matter how many seasick pills she took, the Fullmetal Alchemist continued to be nauseous on the sea.<p>

"Nami! Shouldn't we reach the Grand Line, soon?" Luffy called out to the navigator.

Annoyed, Nami answered the captain.

"What do ya think? We just left Lougetown two days ago. It'll take some time before we get there. Just be patient."

Luffy grinned.

"'K."

Sanji sighed as he took in the open sea air.

"Ah. Feel that sunshine. With weather like this it seems like that storm we had was just a bad dream."

"Tell that to my stomach. I just hope Dr. Marcoh's research notes get here before we get to the Grand Line." Erin groaned as she continued to hang herself over the side of the ship.

Winry sighed at her friend's predicament and groaned herself.

"I can't believe you, Erin. We've been on the sea for a couple of days, maybe two weeks if you count our trip to Cocoyashi Village, and you're still seasick."

Erin yelled at her mechanic.

"IT'S NOT LIKE I'VE PLANNED THIS, WINRY!"

As the two girls argued, Alphonse watched the sea until something caught his proverbial eyes. A flock of seagulls in one location. Suspicious, he called up to Ussop.

"Ussop! What can you see in the west?"

Ussop took a look and agreed that something strange was happening.

"Hey! Al and I see a flock of birds starboard!"

Luffy looked up to the sniper.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. And they're surrounding something. I can't make it out exactly, but it's big. I wonder what it is?"

"Maybe it's a fish." Luffy answered, looking off in the direction of the gulls.

Ussop began to use his new goggles to try and get a better look.

"Maybe. Or…a small boat? Or a fish? I don't know."

Sanji decided to add his thoughts in.

"I've heard that it's common for birds to flock above fish and even trail them."

"It is?" Luffy asked, getting that familiar grin we all know.

"Yeah. That's right. Sounds like lunch to me."

Luffy then stood up.

"All right!" He then reeled back his arm. "GUM-GUM…." Then released it out to the mass in front of him. "…GRAB!"

Ussop and Sanji were impressed.

"Whoa! That's a stretch!"

"It never gets old."

As Luffy's hand grabbed the distant object, Erin weakly asked a question.

"You know there's a really good chance of that fish being rotten, right?"

Unfortunately, her question didn't get noticed as Luffy called out.

"I've caught it!"

He then steadied his arm as he reeled his catch in.

"Come here! It seems pretty big!"

To the alchemist's surprise, Nami praised the captain.

"Nice one, Luffy!"

But then, Sanji noticed something.

"Hey. You're reeling it in fast. Dial it down a little!"

Seeing this coming, both Erin and Sanji ducked just in time as the object struck a sleeping Zoro, sending him overboard.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Luffy spoke as if Zoro was there.

Sanji and Erin, despite her stomach, both yelled at Luffy.

"YOU DUMBASS!"

Alphonse got to work at helping Zoro out of the water while the alchemist, the navigator, the cook, and the captain gathered around the object that Luffy brought in from the sea. To the others disappointment, the object was not a fish, alive or dead. It was a little girl no older than eight as Erin guessed. She was dressed in a yellow dress with a lilac shirt underneath and she wore a strange white hat on her blond, braided head. She was out cold; though it was uncertain if was from being out at sea for a time or striking Zoro.

"Huh. That's the strangest looking fish I've ever seen." Sanji spoke.

Erin glanced irritably at the chef.

"She's not a fish, you moron. She's a little girl."

"Huh. A fish person? Where's her webbing?" Luffy asked.

"She's not a fish person, you idiot. She's just a little kid." Ussop told the captain in annoyance.

"Why would someone leave a child out in the middle of the ocean? It makes no sense." Nami spoke.

Erin rolled her eyes and answered the navigator.

"She's most likely a survivor of a shipwreck caused by the storm."

After Zoro was brought back up on deck, Al looked over his sister and saw the girl.

"Sister. I think she's dehydrated."

Although not a doctor, Winry carefully opened the child's mouth and examined it.

"You're right, Al. Her throat's dry as a bone."

The automail mechanic then looked up to the younger of the Elric's.

"Al. Can you carry her to the galley?"

She then turned her attention to Sanji.

"Better make a meal for her, Sanji."

Then to Ussop.

"Can you or Nami help me? Erin's out of commission, after all."

"I HEARD THAT, WINRY!" Erin yelled before heaving again.

Ussop and Nami both agreed and aided the automail mechanic.

"Hey. What can I do, Winry?" Luffy asked the mechanic.

Bluntly, Winry spoke.

"You're going to be having your hands full running away from an angry swordsman with green hair."

Sure enough, once Zoro had recovered, he chased Luffy all around the _Merry_ to get back at him.

* * *

><p><em>Sometime later…<em>

The crew of the _Going Merry_ had gathered in the galley, continuing to keep an eye on the mysterious girl. Ussop, Nami, and Winry took turns placing cool rags on the child's forehead. Luffy had failed to escape Zoro's wrath and received a beating for his earlier stunt. Erin took more of her seasickness medication with Alphonse manning the helm, although that didn't stop him from coming into the galley to see if the child had made any progress.

It was the smell of Sanji's delicious cooking that brought the girl back from her unconscious state, but she sat up too fast and smacked her forehead on Ussop's chin, who was replacing her rag at the time. Holding her head, the girl screamed.

"That hurt~!"

The sound of her voice caught the attention of the crew.

"You're awake! That was quicker than we expected." Nami spoke, gesturing to Winry and herself.

Winry also replied with a kind smile.

"Don't worry. You're alright now."

As the girl began to take in her surroundings, Sanji spoke, not taking his eyes off his cooking.

"Nothing that some grub won't cure. I'm cooking some soup if you're hungry."

The girl then whispered to herself.

"Lucky!"

Nami spoke up, gesturing to Winry again.

"My friend here guessed that you were shipwrecked. You _are _lucky. What's your name?"

The girl was confused for a moment before narrowing her eyes, clearly not trusting the people she was around.

"Hmph! Before asking people questions, it's polite to give them your name first."

Erin muttered to herself in annoyance.

"Hmph! That's thanks she gives to the people that saved her from being fish food?"

Not hearing the Fullmetal Alchemist, Nami smirked.

"Good point. I'm Nami."

She then pointed to Sanji.

"The chef cooking that delicious soup is Sanji."

Sanji turned around and said 'hi' before Nami pointed to Zoro.

"That's Zoro. Despite his scowl, he's actually a good guy."

"Hmph! Shut up." Zoro replied to Nami, who then pointed to Ussop.

"And you've already met the guy who's unconscious on the floor. That's Ussop."

The navigator then pointed to Winry and Erin.

"And those two are two of the three newest members of our crew. The tall girl's Winry and the short girl's Erin."

A vein appeared on the shorter girl's forehead as she yelled at Nami.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? DON'T CALL ME SMALL!"

Seeing the girl flinch at Erin's yelling, Winry spoke up.

"Don't mind her. She hates being called 'short,' but she's a nice girl too. Minding the helm is her younger brother, Alphonse. But to tell you, don't let his appearance fool you. Although he may look scary on the outside, Al's a pretty sweet kid on the inside."

Finally, Luffy introduced himself with the same idiotic grin that his crew has known him for.

"I'm Luffy. And I'm the captain of this pirate crew."

At the words 'pirate crew', the girl screamed in shock.

"What?! Pirates!?"

Clearly not seeing the girl's negative reaction, Luffy spoke.

"Yep. And we're on our way to the Grand Line."

The girl just froze in fear, the majority of the crew not understanding her reaction.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked.

"You ok?" asked Luffy.

Zoro, who had been quiet most of the time, spoke to his crewmates.

"So what are we supposed to do with her?"

Confused, Luffy answered.

"Uhh…I'm not sure. I'll have to think it over. I can deal with this tomorrow."

Just then, the girl passed out. Alarmed, Nami ran over to check on her.

"What happened?"

One of the two people in the galley who noticed this behavior, Winry sighed before she began to scold the crew.

"What's in those heads of yours? It's obvious she's not too happy to hear she's aboard a pirate ship. She just fainted from shock, that's all."

"Really? How could you tell, Winry?" Luffy asked.

Placing her hands on her hips, the automail mechanic turned to her captain.

"It was obvious because of how she reacted. Screaming words? Frozen in fear? I can't believe none of you noticed that."

"I noticed. I just didn't say anything." Erin muttered to herself again.

* * *

><p><em>Later that night…<em>

Hours later, everyone was asleep in bed for the night. Well, except for two. Alphonse, for obvious reasons, and the little girl in the galley. After recovering from her fainting spell, she huddled next to the wall as she thought to herself in fright.

_"Why me? This isn't fair! It is wrong for so many bad things to happen all to one person! And after all I've been through! I survived escaping the Marines only to get picked up by a pirate ship?" _

As she thought that, she pictured a more menacing version of the Straw Hats out of fear.

"_It isn't funny!" _

The sudden growling of her stomach caught her attention from her thoughts before she again thought to herself.

"_And to top it off, I'm starving." _

Carrying the blanket like a cloak, the girl got up from her bed and began to walk to the fridge. But as she got close, there was a sudden sensation touching her leg and something came down and SNAP! The girl, thinking it was for her, grabbed her head and bent down, waiting for the impending blow. But it never came.

Instead, she sensed light come and she dared herself to open her eyes. The scene before was completely odd. On the floor was a giant mousetrap. And in the trap…Luffy, who was struggling to get out as the person who turned on the light, Sanji, spoke in annoyance.

"How many times? Luffy. This always ends the same way? You never learn, do you?"

He then took notice of the girl by the fridge and spoke.

"What are you doing there?"

The girl chuckled nervously.

Minutes later, the three of them were at the table, Luffy chowing down on a piece of meat like a pig. Again, Sanji sighed in exasperation.

"I would've made you something to eat, Luffy. Just stop trying to take food without asking first."

"But I'm hungry!" Luffy complained as he continued to stuff food into his maw.

The sound of the little girl's stomach caught the chef's attention as the girl blushed in embarrassment.

"What's wrong? You hungry too?"

The girl looked away, trying to deny his accusation.

"You skipped dinner and I know you skipped lunch. What is this? A hunger strike? You think the big, bad, pirates are gonna poison your food, is that it?"

The girl shook her head in denial. After a moment of silence, Sanji spoke again.

"If you just sit there like that, you know he's gonna finish everything."

Hearing this, Luffy reached for a bowl of soup and spoke.

"That's ok. More for me."

Had it with her hunger, the girl grabbed the soup first and shouted as she drank the soup.

"Get back!"

After drinking the soup down, the girl was amazed at how good Sanji's cooking was.

"Amazing!"

Luffy grinned and spoke. "

Yeah, I know. Was there any doubt? I picked Sanji personally."

Sanji took a bow with the compliments on his cooking as the girl spoke again, this time with less fear in her.

"I've never had anything this good."

Suddenly, Nami's voice was heard as she, Ussop, and Zoro were leaning by the door.

"You're finally smiling."

Their sudden appearance caught the trio by surprise.

"Nami." Sanji spoke.

Seeing Luffy, Nami began to scold him.

"Luffy! Are you eating again?"

"What's wrong? I didn't have much lunch." Luffy answered.

Ussop laughed. "Are you kidding? You ate two pots!" But Luffy's response was "I don't remember."

Nami then approached the girl with friendly eyes as she spoke.

"You poor thing. Did you really think we were evil?"

"Well…I guess." The girl admitted.

"Well, you were alone. So that's a common sentiment these days. We're getting used to it."

"You're not gonna sell me off?" The girl asked.

Ussop answered in surprise.

"No way!"

Zoro decided to have a bit of fun and spoke to Ussop.

"You know, you do have an evil look on your face."

But Ussop pulled the swordsman's cheek as he spoke.

"You're the expert on evil looks."

As the sniper and the swordsman began to fight, Nami groaned.

"Why are they such morons?"

The girl gave a nervous laugh as Sanji spoke to her again.

"We still have plenty more to eat, _mademoiselle_."

"He's right. And if you stick around, you'll see that these pirates are more friendly and fun instead of scary. I promise. Our three newest members are going through the same thing." Nami answered.

With a smile, the little girl shouted out.

"More, please."

"As you wish." Sanji replied.

"Me too!" Luffy yelled.

"Get your own, Luffy!" Sanji yelled back at the captain.

"I already tried." The captain complained.

As the girl waited, she realized that there were some members missing. Looking back to Nami, the girl asked her question.

"Where are the others? The…new members, I mean."

Realizing who the girl meant, Nami answered her as she, too, sat down.

"Winry and Erin are down in the girl's cabin, sleeping, and Al is manning the helm."

The girl was surprised that that three new members were either asleep or doing some work. She wondered what the three newcomers were like.

* * *

><p><em>The Following Morning…<em>

The next morning, Erin and Winry came up to the deck late, as usual. While Winry yawned, Erin headed to the railing and continued her new ritual on the sea.

"Ugh. Will this ever stop?" The Fullmetal Alchemist complained.

With her friend being seasick everyday ever since they joined the crew, Winry began to worry about Erin.

"I don't know. Maybe we should find you a doctor on the next civilized island we come to."

Erin didn't protest as she continued to lean on the railing. Looking to the helm, Winry waved to Al, who waved back.

Just then, Nami came from the galley and waved the Amestrians over.

"Hey, guys. Come inside. The girl's awake now."

Hearing this, the trio headed into the galley, where Sanji was placing some plates and silverware in the sink and turning on the faucet so that they'd get clean. Seeing the girl no longer apprehensive than the night before, Winry spoke with a smile.

"I see you look chipper. How are you doing?"

The girl nodded at the mechanic and spoke.

"A lot better, thank-!"

But her words never came out as she caught sight of the hulking suit of armor coming inside.

Seeing the kid shiver in fear, Erin looked to her brother before speaking to the girl.

"This is my little brother, Alphonse. Like Winry said last night, don't let his appearance fool you."

"She's right. Al may look scary, but he's a real sweetheart as long as I've known him." Nami added in.

Al 'blushed' as he rubbed the back of his helmet in embarrassment.

"Th-thank you, Nami."

Nami then introduced the girl to the three Amestrians, having learned it over breakfast.

"And guys. This is Apis."

After the final introduction, the crew and the girl sat around the galley and Nami was the first to speak.

"So what's your story? Why were you adrift at sea? Were you stranded or was someone after you?"

Apis answered the Navigator.

"I escaped from a marine ship. They were holding me prisoner."

"A marine ship?" Ussop asked in surprise as Apis continued.

"I got away from there three nights ago."

"Three nights ago? That was during the storm. Your little boat didn't stand a chance." Nami deduced.

Zoro then asked a rather insensitive question.

"How'd you get in trouble in the first place? They've had to have held you prisoner for a reason. What could you have possibly done for a little girl to get captured by the marines? Everyone knows they're twits and I still can't imagine them labeling you an enemy. What'd you do?"

The girl looked down and struggled with her words.

"Well… I…. um…"

"Hey. Are you hiding something?" Erin asked.

Apis panicked.

"No! It's nothing like that! You have to believe me! I'm innocent. But still…I can't talk about it."

"You can't tell us?" Ussop asked.

Sanji intervened.

"Easy. What's the big deal? She must have her reasons. If she doesn't want to say, then we shouldn't press her."

Winry nodded.

"I agree."

"Me too. But it would be helpful if you can tell us where you're from." Nami spoke.

Apis answered in surprise.

"I…. um… It's a place called 'Warship Island.'"

"Warship Island?" Nami asked in surprise.

"Do you know it?" Ussop asked the Navigator as she reached for a map.

"No. But it should be labeled on the map."

"Odd name. Why's it called 'Warship Island?'?" Luffy asked.

Apis answered.

"Well, because the shape of the island looks exactly like a warship."

Luffy grinned.

"Heh. I like it."

Soon after, Nami found the island and pointed to it on the map.

"Look!"

Seeing where she was pointing to, Ussop spoke.

"Huh. It's so close to the Grand Line."

Nami then pointed to a different location on the map.

"We're here, so the distance between here and the island is reasonable. What do you want to do, Apis? We can take you back to your island. We're heading for the Grand Line, but it's no problem for us to drop you off."

Apis remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Thank you. You were all so nice to save me and I feel bad for having you go out of your way. But I wanna go home more than anything! I'm sorry. I'm being selfish. Maybe you can hand me over to a ship that's heading west on the way to the Grand Line. I'm sure I can handle things on my own from there."

But Nami spoke differently.

"Absolutely not. There's no way! A pirate ship can't get close to another vessel without them attacking in blind fear."

Apis lowered her head.

"Yeah. You're right."

"But still, we're not on anyone's time table other than our own. And Warship Island isn't that far off. So we can do it." Winry spoke.

This surprised Apis as she looked up.

"What?"

Nami then spoke with Luffy.

"Well, I'm fine with this, either way. What about you, dear captain?"

Luffy grinned.

"Sure. Sounds great to me."

"It's close to where we are going." Ussop answered.

"I know. And the island looks like a warship." Luffy answered him.

Sanji then spoke. "I think that's a yes."

Apis couldn't help but smile as she spoke.

"Really? You don't mind changing course and taking me back home?"

"Nope." Luffy answered, causing the girl the jump for joy, thanking the crew with much enthusiasm.

Despite her seasickness, Erin smirked at her younger brother and old friend.

"Looks like we're taking a detour. And one on land, too."

Al gave a soft laugh at his sister's eagerness to plant her feet on dry land again. He was glad Luffy allowed the detour despite his own eagerness to find the mysterious treasure One Piece. He soon started to wonder what exactly was in his and his sister's future with this crew.

But minutes later, as it look like things were going to go smoothly, Ussop yelled from the seagull rimmed Crow's Nest.

"We've got company! And just our luck! We're in deep trouble! It's the marines!"

"Marines?" Nami asked from the deck.

"And we're not just talking about one or two ships either!"

Hearing this, Erin ran over to the other railing and saw a fleet of ships heading their way.

"He's right!" Nami, joining the Fullmetal Alchemist, spoke a question.

"Why would the marines dispatch an entire fleet to this area?"

"What's going on?" Luffy asked as he joined his friends.

Seeing the ships, Luffy spoke.

"Are they after the bounty on my head?"

"They wouldn't send this many just for you." Nami answered.

"Maybe the marines feel that they need an entire fleet to capture me. I am kinda amazing."

"Shut up! This isn't a joke!" Erin yelled at Luffy.

Apis, seeing the ships, recognized them and began to walk backwards, catching Sanji's eye.

"What's wrong with you?"

Apis answered.

"Those ships belong to Branch 8! They're the ones I escaped from! What am I gonna do?!"

The crew remained silent at this revelation until Ussop screamed.

"They're firing at us!"

The cannonballs pierced the water around the ship as the crew and their passenger held on tight to keep their holding. The head of the marine ships then called out to them.

"Attention pirates! You have trespassed into restricted waters and are hereby ordered to stop and surrender!"

"There's no way we're gonna stop for marines!" Ussop exclaimed as he struggled to regain himself onto the ship.

"How'd you wanna handle this? 'Cause I wanna fight them." Zoro spoke.

"Then I say let's fight." Luffy answered.

"You're crazy!" Ussop called out to the pair.

"Why must we always fight against impossible odds?"

As Ussop berated the captain and the swordsman, Sanji spoke to Apis.

"Apis. Go down to the cabin with Winry and the Elric's."

"Ok." The girl answered.

But before she could go and collect the Amestrians, she turned to find the seagull on the orchard. After moments of silence and staring at them, she heard Sanji speak.

"What's wrong?"

"A wind's coming. He says it's a strong one." Apis whispered.

Nami hearing this, look to the sky and began to give orders.

"Zoro! Man the sails! Ussop, Al, Sanji! Right rudder full!"

"Huh?"

"Get going!"

The sniper, the cook, and the armor obeyed and headed to the helm as Luffy asked Nami a question.

"Hey, Nami. What's happening?"

"A gust is coming. We'll ride it out and move on. If we try to take out the fleet head on, we'll end up losing, no matter how well we fight." Nami answered.

Suddenly, a fierce wind filled the sails of the _Going Merry_ and sent it speeding across the water, evading the marines. While Luffy and the others enjoyed the ride, Erin was holding tight to both the railing and whatever meal was still in her stomach.

Eventually, the ship slowed down as the gale died, leaving no sign of the marines that were chasing them. Ussop jumped for joy.

"Ha-ha! You see? Even Captain Ussop can scare a marine fleet away!"

"Perfect! Another triumph performed by our expert navigator!" Luffy called out.

"Well done, Nami. Incredible how you detected that wind before it hit." Sanji flirted.

But as the others were cheering, both Zoro and Erin noticed something was up. Especially Erin, as her seasickness suddenly left her.

Seeing the apprehensive looks on both State Alchemist and swordsman, Nami spoke.

"What's wrong, you two?" Erin answered.

"Nami. Did you by chance notice how we're not moving at all? And my seasickness has stopped."

Noticing this, Nami looked at the sail and saw that it was completely still. Not even a measly draft moved it. It was then Nami realized why the marines never chased them. She screamed.

Hearing their navigator, the crew looked at Nami.

"Nami? You ok?" Luffy asked.

Panicked, Nami shrieked.

"We're screwed! **WE'VE ENTERED THE CALM BELT**!

* * *

><p><em>Please review and no flames.<em>


	12. The Calm Belt

**Chapter 12**

**The Calm Belt**

_I did it. I finally did it. I've got Chapter 12 of 'Fullmetal Pirate done!"_

_This is also a birthday present for '__Nikkirose and PhantomhiveQueen'. Happy Belated Birthday!_

**Update 6-13-15: **_Just to remind those who review __anonymously, I cannot answer your questions because the site doesn't work that way. So if you have a question concerning the plot, you are just gonna have to be patient. In addition, I find it offensive if you ask me to update this fic on different fic. That was why it took me even longer to write this chapter. I was furious at the reviewers who used my "Blood Red Roses" fic as a indirect messaging system. And don't repeat the same message over and over. It's spamming._

_I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or One Piece._

* * *

><p>"The Clam Belt?" and "What's that?" were the questions Ussop and Luffy asked upon Nami's reaction. This did nothing to still the navigator's fear.<p>

"_Calm _Belt! A part of the sea where nothing moves a muscle!"

Luffy then became excited, much to the frustration of the entire crew, Nami in particular.

"So there's mussels _and _clams?"

"NO!" Nami shrieked in frustration.

Suddenly, the ship began to rock enough so that the crew could sense it, much to Erin's dismay as she grabbed the railing again.

"Damn my stomach." She muttered as she continued to listen to the banter.

"What was that? An earthquake?" Luffy asked.

"A good trick since we're at sea." Erin spoke sarcastically.

Nami, however, remained focused on the situation at hand.

"All of this chit-chat isn't going to get us out of here. Full the sails and start paddling, now! We have to get back on course!"

And once again, much to Erin's annoyance, Sanji swooned over Nami.

"You can count on me!"

Ever the calm one, Zoro spoke to the crew.

"Don't panic and besides, this is a sailboat. Why do we need to paddle?"

Ussop immediately agreed with Zoro's question.

"True. And why would we go through the trouble of paddling back where the Marines are waiting for us?"

Still determined to get the ship moving, Nami explained.

"Look! There's no time to argue. Just shut up and do as I say!"

"Well, at least it's nice and quiet here." Luffy pointed out while Ussop agreed.

The three Amestrians wisely kept silent as Nami finally gave in to her frustration.

"Argh! Fine! If I need to explain this to you, I will! In our haste to escape from the Marines, we ended up going too far south and now we're off course and stuck out here!"

Hearing this, Luffy thought for a moment before turning his attention back to Nami.

"South… So we've entered the Grand Line?"

Hearing this, Ussop began to cheer until Nami shouted at the two again.

"If we were at the Grand Line, you'd think I'd waste my time explaining this?!"

She then left the upper deck and went inside the galley only to come back a minute later with a map in her hand. Placing the map on the deck, showing an image of the Grand Line to her crewmates. With the water calm, Erin was able to walk over to the gathering and see the map herself.

"Now look."

She then pointed to the map.

"The Grand Line is sandwiched in the middle of these two green areas you see here, you understand?"

They nodded as she continued.

"These areas, just as they're labeled, are what's called the Calm Belts."

She then pointed to the northern green line.

"That's where we are. Nobody knows why, but there is no wind and no current. It's like a void where everything's stagnant. Given that sailboats move by catching winds, this is more than a dangerous region. It can be fatal, get it?"

"Nope. But sounds like we're in big trouble." Luffy blankly spoke.

"Good! You've retained more than I thought you would." Nami spoke sarcastically to him as Sanji spoke.

"So this is what that geezer meant when he said it was dangerous."

"Well that explains why we haven't got a single gust of wind." Zoro replied.

"How are we gonna get out of this if our ship can't move?" Ussop asked.

"Maybe the wind will start blowing again." Luffy replied, rather stupidly if one might add.

"Wind never blows in the Calm Belt! And that's not all. There's another good reason why people call this area dangerous." Nami replied.

Erin spoke, not liking where this was going.

"Why do I get the feeling that unless we get out of here a.s.a.p., we're royally screwed?"

Nami then looked at the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Well you'd be right. It's infested with-!"

But Nami's words were cut off when the ship once again began to rock violently. The crew grabbed the nearest support as Apis called out.

"It's big!"

Soon after, the _Merry_ began to move. But instead of forwards or back, they were rising up.

"Here they come!" Nami shrieked as the crew struggled to get a grip on the situation.

Just then, the waves burst, revealing giant creatures the Amestrian privateers never seen before. And none of them look a bit friendly. What was worse, their ship was nestled on the snout of one of them.

"Whoa! Sea monsters! They're gigantic!" Luffy called out.

Alphonse was shaking in his armor while Winry's voice got caught in her throat. Erin, however, couldn't remain silent.

"Holy Crap! What the hell are those things?!"

Nami answered hers and everyone's questions as she held onto the mast, tearing up in fear.

"The Calm Belt is also home to the Sea Kings. It's their main place for breeding. _They're _the biggest reason why people can't cross the Calm Belt."

Erin's pupils shrank as she heard this information. She didn't know what a Sea King was. But one thing's for sure. Unless they got out of there, this was going to be the shortest voyage of her young life.

"Dammit!" She cursed.

"Any idea…how we get out of this?" Sanji asked, not moving from his spot.

Zoro answered him between his teeth.

"Yes. Everybody, don't move a muscle. We don't want them to get any reason to stick around and eat us. Once they're gone, we'll paddle back. Got it?"

A panic-stricken Ussop screamed at the swordsman, unable to keep quiet.

"YOU CALL THAT A PLAN?!"

Winry quickly covered the sniper's mouth with her hands as she hissed.

"Shut up!"

Unfortunately, Ussop's scream caught the attention of a frog-like Sea King as it leapt out of the water and directly at them. This caused the Sea King the _Merry _was on to recoil, forcing all but one to grab on tight to something. Apis was the unlucky one as she found herself falling into the frog's mouth.

"Hold on!" Luffy called out as he stretched his arm out to grab her just in time as the frog was about to close its jaws.

Removing her hands from her eyes, Apis saw that she wasn't in the Sea King's mouth like she feared, but rather dangling off something. She looked up and was surprised to find that it was Luffy's stretched arm that was keeping her from being dead meat. With swift movement, Luffy tossed his arm and the girl into the air. Apis called down to him in surprise.

"Your arm! It's stretching! Luffy? Did you get your ability from eating a Devil Fruit?"

Luffy called out to her.

"Yeah, that's right."

Apis didn't say anything for a while. At least, until she took notice of the Sea King's nostril and got an idea. She then turned her head down to call to Luffy.

"Hey! Stretch your arm downwards again!"

Luffy, hearing this and despite being confused at first, obeyed Apis' order and flung her downward. This caused unrest with Ussop and Winry vocally.

"Luffy!"

"What are you doing?!"

"No idea, guys." Luffy responded.

As the crew protested, Apis was getting closer to the Sea King's nostril.

"1…2…"

When she got close enough, she clutched at one of the beast's large nose hairs.

"…3!"

With the aid of Luffy's rubber abilities, Apis pulled out the nose hair. Seeing this, the crew took notice.

"What the hell did she just do?" Zoro demanded.

"Yanked a nose hair." Luffy replied as-of-matter-of-factly.

It was then Erin realized what Apis' plan was and tied herself to the side of the _Merry _with some rope.

_"DAMMIT!"_

"Hold on to something! We're going for a ride!"

As if on cue, the Sea King let out a powerful sneeze, sending the _Going Merry _flying out of the Calm Belt, its crew flailing about on deck. When things finally settle, Nami was the first to speak after getting a good look at the area.

"Looks like we're back where we started."

"Yeah. And no sign of the marines, either." Zoro replied.

Ussop was on the ground, shaken up as he whimpered.

"I thought I was a goner!"

Winry was on her seat, paralyzed in shock as Sanji aided Alphonse in regaining his scattered armor. Thankfully, Apis hadn't seen the younger Elric's empty armor, so the secret remained so. Erin was worse off, her stomach angrily protesting at what had just happened.

"At this rate, if we're lucky, we'll have found Gold Roger's treasure before I can get rid of this seasickness."

Luffy turned to Apis and gave a thumb's up.

"Quick thinking."

Apis returned the gesture.

"Thank you!"

The rubber captain then turned towards the bow and pointed towards the sea.

"Alright! Set the sails!"

Nami replied as she and the others (at least the ones were weren't incapacitated at the moment) unfurled the sails.

"And our destination is?"

Luffy answered the navigator proudly.

"Where else? Warship Island!"

* * *

><p>Hours passed and the ship found itself in a fog bank. As the crew debated on the accuracy of Apis' coordinates, Erin hardly caring as she focused on trying to settle her stomach.<p>

"I can't see a thing." Said Ussop.

"We'll we can see the fog." Luffy replied.

Winry answered her captain with a tick-mark on her forehead.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Luffy looked at the mechanic and blinked.

"Did you forget, Winry? My name's Luffy."

Sanji then decided to change the subject before Winry got even more annoyed.

"Apis. Are you sure about the coordinates?"

"No." Apis replied simply.

This caught Ussop's attention.

"No? But you said…"

But he was soon cut off by Nami, who spoke with confidence.

"Relax. I'm sure we'll come upon it any moment now."

"You're so confident." Sanji compliment her.

"I sure wouldn't bet against you." Luffy told Nami.

"I wouldn't make _any_ bet against her if you value your wallets."

Erin muttered miserably. It was then that Apis noticed something in the fog. With a smile growing on her face, she pointed it out.

"Look!"

The entire Straw Hat crew looked in the general direction and soon spotted something ahead. It was large and had a very odd shape. Luffy was the first to attempt at identify it.

"It's a sailboat! It's gigantic."

However, Sanji noticed something odd about the 'sailboat' and spoke up.

"Hold on a second."

Zoro spoke as well.

"You're saying it's gigantic? That doesn't even begin to describe it."

As Luffy was about to counter argue, Apis spoke up.

"That's not a sailboat. It's the island itself! It's named because it looks like a warship."

Upon hearing this, the entire crew took notice of the geographical features of the island ahead.

"Oh yeah! I see it now." Luffy spoke.

Erin, however, was spilling tears of joy. Her agony was finally going to stop for a while.

"Finally! Land! Get me off of this tub and let me at that terra firma!"

As the ship approached the bay, the locals who lived on the island took notice of the ships flag and prepared for the worst. Women and children hid in their homes while men of various ages gathered spears and other weapons in case of an attack. However, as the ship docked, Apis looked over the edge and happily waved to the people.

"Hi, everyone! I'm home!"

This caught the villagers by surprise as Apis made her way down the rope ladder and onto the ground.

One of them men spoke to her in shock as the Straw Hats made their way down the ladder.

"What are you doing? Why are you with pirates?"

"Why did you bring them here, Apis?" another man asked.

With his hat tilted downward on his face, Luffy spoke in a serious tone.

"Hey, you. I have a question for you."

One of the men boldly answered as he held up his weapon.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

Much to our amusement, dear readers, the answer Luffy gave them was not one they were expecting.

"Do you know of any good barbeque restaurants here?"

The villagers blinked in surprise as another man spoke a question.

"Huh? What kind of a question is that, pirate?"

Still carrying a smile on her face, Apis spoke to the villagers.

"Relax. They're not bad pirates. They're nice and helpful."

Another man spoke up as the villagers began to let down their guard.

"I didn't know there was such a thing as a nice and helpful pirate."

"Yep." Apis replied.

It was then another villager spoke a more serious question.

"How is it you've ended up with these people? Last time we saw you, you were taken away by the marines."

Apis answered his question.

"That's right. I escaped the marines."

She then placed a hand on Luffy's elbow, the latter still smiling.

"And then I was stranded in the ocean but they rescued me just in time!"

Soon after, there were more questions. However, these questions concerned about the reason why Apis was captured. They've even began to debate on whether or not Apis should remain on the island or how to get the pirates involved. However, the questions were soon halted as an elderly voice spoke out from the crowd.

"Apis!"

The crowd turned to see an old man with a horned cane standing little visible emotion as he spoke again.

"Come to my house, child."

Apis immediately recognized the elder as she called out his name as she ran towards the elder.

"Grandpa Bokuden!"

The old man, Bokuden, then proceeded to smile as he embraced his granddaughter, who had rushed to him like a bat out of hell.

"I'm glad you're safe, precious."

He then looked to the Straw Hats, still wearing the toothy smile.

"Thank you for saving my granddaughter's life. I'm in your debt."

He then got an idea, one that Luffy would most definitely agree with.

"I know! I'll throw a celebration for you and your crew."

Luffy's grin widened as he asked, "What's on the menu? Maybe barbeque?"

Meanwhile, as the crew were discussing dinner plans and the villagers returning to their daily business, Alphonse was the last to climb down the rope ladder. Under his arm was his sister, who despite feeling embarrassed, was grateful to take some shore leave.

Once Al touched the ground, Erin spoke to her little brother.

"Just drop me here, Al."

"But Sister. Don't you want to go to Apis' house for dinner?" Alphonse asked, confused at his sister's request.

Erin answered, not taking her eyes off the earth below.

"We can join up later. Right now, I just want to be on solid ground."

With a sigh, Alphonse placed Erin on the ground. As soon as she touched the earth, Erin laid down on her back and gave a relieved sigh.

"Sweet, sweet land."

A sweat-drop appeared on Al's helmet as he spoke to Erin again.

"Aren't you ever going to get rid of your seasickness?"

Erin answered after she took in a breath of fresh air.

"Only if we ever get a doctor, Al. Only if we ever get a doctor."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the Grand Line…<em>

A small figure let out a sneeze. It checked its pulse and placed a hand on its forehead.

"Hmm. No fever. Is it dust?"

Finding nothing wrong with itself, the figure adjusted its pink top hat and continued to grind plants into powder with its mortar and pestle.

* * *

><p><em>Please review.<em>


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